Under The Cherry Blossoms
by Psychedelic Panda Goddess
Summary: Bella gets into an accident after a party but instead going to a hospital she ends up in the arms of a green eyed man in 1918 – completely unharmed. She finds romance in his eyes, and love on his lips but after too many mistakes, will time take her back to 2005, away from Edward, or will the creatures in the forest steal her in the night? M, AU.
1. Out Cold

**A/N:**

**I am aware that this concept of Bella going back in time has been done before, and I've enjoyed many stories about it. But here's my take on what it would really feel like to go back there – sans the Disney princess. **

**Enjoy it!**

**Chapter One**

**Out Cold**

Their laughter at my expense was too much for me to handle and I had to get off this rooftop. Now. I ran down the cool white stairwell of the small building, my best friends hot on my tail after they'd poured bright red Kool-Aid down the front of the cheerleader's shirts. It was almost laughable to see them gaping like fish out of water, but I was too mortified to even think about giggling.

"Just leave me alone!" My voice was rough from crying as I ran out of the stairs and into the cool June air. It was summer time, the perfect time of the year that was supposed to be full of romance, but this summer before my senior year in high school had already started in complete destruction. Alice and Rose followed me, fury on their faces when they saw me running. They tried to catch me, but I already had my shiny black motorcycle helmet on, my keys in my hands and my leather jacket over my shoulders.

"Bella, come back!"

And I might have if I wasn't already on my motorcycle; speeding away from the horror scene I called my life. I pushed the dark black Hayabusa to its limits when I got away from the forest town of Forks, Washington. This night was supposed to be amazing, but it only ended in tragedy and self-loathing. My boyfriend Jacob said he had a special surprise for me tonight on top of the roof of my apartment building. It was a surprise alright, and one I certainly didn't expect.

It was our one year anniversary together as a couple, which meant something for two seventeen year old teenagers, and I was supposed to be happily drinking apple cider on the rooftop with my buddies and listening to good music. I'd spent all day with my best friends, Alice and Rose, getting ready for it. They were sisters, but they couldn't have been more different from one another. Alice had dark black hair, cut short and smoothed down to her head, and Rose had bleach blonde straight hair to her waist. They were two completely different people: both crazed by fashion, which was the reason I had asked them to help me for tonight. They picked out my sexiest ripped up black jeans and tight band t-shirt tank top with boots that I was glad I was wearing now that I was on my bike. Fat lot of good it all did, though. It didn't matter what I looked like to Jake, I'd never be enough and I saw that now.

I gunned the throttle harder when thoughts of what he did to me ran through my mind and I was racing through the thick, forest covered highway angrily. I needed to get away from the way everyone laughed at me because I was a rocker girl who actually believed that the quarterback could love someone different. I was stupid to even think he'd be interested in my brown eyes, or my pale skin. He liked tan cheerleaders, from the looks of it.

"I wish I would have never been forced to come here," I was whispering to myself in the confines of my helmet.

My mother sent me away from my home in New York to live with my older brother Frankie after my dad died. It wasn't because she was sad: it was because she didn't want to look at me and see the disappointment in my eyes every time she was with her new Spanish boyfriend that was twenty years younger than she was. She sent me here because, and I quote, "your life will be better, sweetie. Forks is great!"

Well, it wasn't great. Not at all. It rained almost all year, the people were mean at best, and the guy I thought I loved was a colossal asshole. He played me from the very beginning. He made a bet with his girlfriend that he could make me, the school freak because I had near black hair and liked rock music, fall in love with him. I had to congratulate him though because it definitely worked. The freak was in love with the jock and they played with me so well that my heart was broken now.

Somewhere deep inside of myself, I knew it was true. I knew he didn't even care about me, because I wouldn't give myself to him sexually or mentally. We connected on a low level, but his beautiful teak eyes dazzled me and I couldn't say no. That didn't mean it didn't hurt to find out I'd been cheated like a chump. Cars seemed to pass in blurs when it began to drizzle, and I found myself unable to see in the thick summer fog on these tall hills. I was going over a hundred miles an hour now, twisting and coming close to the edge of the road with every turn. I was drunk on my own hatred and I didn't care if my bike fell of the cliffs with me on it. I'd welcome the change, because I was so thoroughly unaccepted everywhere else in my life.

I liked loud rock music and old books. My idea of romance was sitting on a porch somewhere drinking lemonade with my love and the most intimate of touches was the brush of his hand across my cheek, maybe even a kiss or two. And only after he swore his love to me, unconditionally, would I let him hold me in the positions I saw Jacob and his girlfriend in earlier tonight. I'd never find love in this world that was for sure. I didn't believe it existed anymore.

Bu maybe death would be sweet and satisfying. Maybe death would finally bring me that peaceful feeling I so sought after. I never wanted love; in fact, I rejected love up until I met Jake because he was so different I thought we'd work. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. I let my bike swerve, felt it jolt to a stop, and my body was flying through the air. I knew this was the end, because I could hear a car screeching on its brakes before my face connected with something very hard and blackness took over my mind. The only thing I could even think about was the absence of pain, until a man's voice was calling out to me.

"Miss? Are you alright? Miss, can you hear me?" a deep attractive voice, full of concern, was just above me. I felt my body was in someone's arms, and I couldn't understand why he would be holding me up if I was in a motorcycle accident. Didn't he know he wasn't supposed to move me if I was injured?

"Is my bike okay?" I rasped, blinking a few times before everything came into focus.

It was daytime? How long did it take for someone to find my body lying on the pavement? Frankie was going to be so worried!

The man chuckled and I looked into his deep green eyes when they took my attention away from the clouds. Such gorgeous eyes of gray, gold, and green stared at me, seeming to smile when he did. He was beautiful. He had messy bronze fell across his forehead and clung to his wide cheekbones and his strong jaw. His sun-kissed face held a little bit of stubble, just above his pink lips and across his chin. The next thing I noticed was that he was dressed rather oddly for a guy from 2005.

"What bike? Miss, you came out of nowhere and we almost hit you. You fainted before I could get out of my car," he explained, and I sat up to look around and see where I was.

Everything looked so _old_. The buildings were brick and wood, no taller than three or four stores, but we were clearly in a big city. There was a park across the street with blossoming cherry trees, a new swing set, and a ratty looking baseball field. I didn't know the city I was in, but the women and men that stood around us wore clothes from way before nineteen sixty. The women were in floor length dresses, and the men in suits and trousers. The last thing I remembered was that I was driving through the hills somewhere outside of Forks and my bike hit the guard rail on purpose when I tried to take my own life. Now, I was in the middle of a strange city, in a very attractive man's arms, and surrounded by people who liked to reenact old films and battles. Why were there women on people's arms?

"Where am I?" I asked him, looking at his deep eyes again.

He helped me to my feet, "Chicago, Illinois." he explained to me.

"_Chicago_? What," I looked around as we stood and he caught me before I could faint again, "What year is this? What day?" I looked around the stunned people who continued walking slowly away from us when they saw I was alive.

"It's June fourth, 1918 Miss. Did you hit your head?" he laughed as I slumped against him in shock. Nineteen...what?

Before I could ask the twenty million questions on my mind, my eyes drooped and I felt the darkness comeback, taking me away from the mysterious green eyed man above me.

**A/N:**

**UGH Finally updated chapter one. xD **

**Review it n_n**

**-Panda**


	2. Mysterious Brown Eyes

**Chapter Two**

**Mysterious Brown Eyes**

**(EPOV)**

"Shit!" Emmett exclaimed and slammed hard on the brakes. He was going about twenty miles above the speed limit and it served him right to almost hit something. We stopped right before he hit a very terrified looking young woman; her brown eyes were huge when she saw how close she had come to death. She slumped to the ground and I exited the car instinctively, grabbing her in my arms even though she had fallen to the pavement. What was she doing walking through the streets, literally, of downtown Chicago at five o'clock?

She was wearing the...oddest clothes I could imagine. She had on tight black pant looking things, all shredded and ripped, exposing the creamy skin of her legs, and a tight sleeveless blouse with the word "Blondie" scrawled across it in giant white letters. She looked nearly edible, but entire improper for going anywhere outside of the house. Perhaps Blondie was her name and she was mentally impaired? That would explain why she was wandering through traffic. I moved her long brown locks away from her face so she could get more air. I fanned off her pale skin when she began panting, until a pair of deep caramel eyes stared up at the sky.

At first she seemed _very _confused, then forlorn, then stunned as she looked at my face as if she had never seen a man in her life before. She was beautiful, and I could feel a blush covering my cheeks when her eyes became soft.

"Miss," she didn't respond, just continued staring into my eyes, "are you alright? Miss, can you hear me?" I spoke up a bit and she shook her as if to clear it.

Then, words I never expected from a lady, "is my bike okay?" her voice was hoarse, but beautiful and sweet like music. I found myself wanting to hear it again, even though I didn't know her.

I didn't notice any bicycle anywhere around her so I continued to explain what had happened, "what bike? Miss, you came out of nowhere and we almost hit you. You fainted before I could get out of my car," I explained and she frowned deeply, creating adorable lines across her forehead. Adorable? I'd never said that word about a woman before.

I glared at Emmett when the next words came from her lips, "where am I?" The poor girl didn't even remember what city she was in.

"Chicago, Illinois." I hoped that would sum things up for her and she would remember, but her eyes became large and her mouth dropped open with a popping noise. She looked around and I almost chuckled at how perplexed she was. She must have hit her head, and probably needed a doctor. Either way, I'd be in her company for some time – and I liked that idea.

"_Chicago? _What," she was stumbling for words, "what year is this? What day?" I frowned. She couldn't be serious; she had no knowledge of the year or day, and obviously no recollection of place. She did need a doctor.

"It's June fourth, 1918, Miss. Did you hit your head?" I couldn't help but laugh at how stunned she looked, but just as quickly as she woke, she slumped against me and was out cold once again.

"For the love of God Emmett, you scared her to death." I picked up her very thin body, almost too thin, and carried it to the car. He helped me get her into the back seat and checked out her shapely legs in the tight trousers before I smacked the back of his head.

"What? She's alright, well she looks perfectly fine anyway." He grinned. I slammed the back door, and pushed him into the driver seat.

"Keep your eyes to yourself and drive home. Mother can call Doctor Marx." I shot a look at the girl, who could have just been sleeping, and ran a hand across her forehead. She was burning up.

We screeched to a halt in front of our home on First Street, and my mother was already sitting on the porch. She looked at us with worry, but shock when she saw me carry the strange girl out of the backseat. I carried her in my arms, her head resting against my chest, up the stairs until my mom started fretting. "What_ is_ she wearing? Who is this? What did you boys do to her?" She asked a thousand impossible questions to answer. I gently slid the girl onto the couch in our sitting room, and mother felt her forehead as she began moaning in her sleep.

"Frankie, no...Jacob." She grimaced and immediately she began crying silently. Who were these men that made her sob like that? I felt unjustified anger inside of myself and I let it go before I became irrational. I rubbed her shoulders and when she took my hand I felt a shock run from my toes to the ends of my hair, but I dismissed it when my sister Alice came downstairs.

Alice always seemed to know what was going on before it actually happened. It was uncanny the way she could predict just what people's reactions and words would be. She smiled a little when she saw the girl, already holding a pale of cool water and a washcloth. When she began dabbing at her arms and her face I had to excuse myself or I'd continue to stare at the pale skin of the girl's chest and my cheeks would give away my embarrassment. I was aroused for the first time in my life, by a woman who didn't dress properly and I had no idea who she was or why she just happened to run in front of our car and change my life for one day. I sat away from the scene until my mother came out to the porch where I was trying to get my mind off of her.

"Who is she?" She immediately asked Emmett and I. I hadn't the slightest idea, but I wished I did.

I shrugged, "I have no idea who she is, but I know she needs help. She was walking in the street and Emmett," I shot a glare at my older brother, "was driving too quickly to see her. He stopped just in the nick time but she fainted." After I had explained everything that happened, she shot the same glare at him.

"No more driving, not for a month," his mouth fell open but she held up a hand, "don't even _think_ about saying anything, mister. Go straight to your room and I don't want to see you until supper. You could have killed that girl and then what would you do?" She smacked the back of his head as he sluggishly slumped up the steps and into the house again.

"Thanks, _Edward_." It wasn't my fault this happened to Emmett, or to the girl inside of our house, who I could hear waking up as we rolled our eyes at each other.

"What the _fuck_ is going on here?" She sounded out of breath and when I came in I saw her backed up against a wall, looking at Alice like she was going crazy.

I chortled when my mother scoffed at her unladylike language. I liked this girl more and more by the minute. I came in and saw her skin was paler than before, her brown eyes scared, so I backed up everyone and held up my hands. "No one is going to hurt you, Miss. My brother and I brought you home because you fainted again. My mother has just phoned the doctor and he's on his way to check up on you."

Her nostrils flared and she huffed out a sigh. "I don't need a damn doctor, I need to go home!" She ranted, and glared at Alice as if she knew who she was, but wasn't quite sure. Alice was glaring back at her and they had a silent conversation in which the girl calmed significantly.

"Young lady," my mother scolded and the girl cringed when she stepped forward, "what would your parents say if they heard you speak such foul language in the presence of two ladies in their own home? Come now, sit back down and we'll make sure that fever goes away." She pointed to the couch and the girl cautiously sat beside my sister.

Mother looked at me then and I knew what she was going to say before it even came out of her mouth. "Edward, please leave. A woman should not be seen in such a state," my mom covered her with a blanket and I saw trepidation flash in the girl's brown eyes. She didn't like to be taken care of, that much was obvious enough.

"Yes ma'am, but may I ask the young lady's name?" I looked at her and she chuckled as she rested her head in her hands.

Alice stomped on my foot, glaring at me as. "What's it to you, Edward? Leave her be!" She insisted, but the girl rolled her eyes and answered anyway.

"I'm Bella, Bella Swan. I am sorry for my outburst, ma'am, I am just confused as to where I am. I don't even recall anything except leaving my home in New York this afternoon," she rubbed her eyes in a weird way and looked up at my mother through her thick lashes. I liked that name – it was very pretty.

"It's quite alright, if you agree to not call me ma'am. Edward does it because he knows I hate it. My name's Elizabeth Masen, this is my son Edward and my daughter Alice." She gestured to both my sister and I, and Bella's brown eyes flashed to me again. She looked curious, but her cheeks flushed pink when she noticed I was staring at her, too.

"Could he stay? I don't know, why but it would make me more comfortable," she tried to whisper, and mother told me to sit in the arm chair across from them. I tried very hard not to look at her skinny legs, or her half-exposed chest under that odd shirt, so I let my eyes stare out the window.

"New York, you said? What did you do in New York?" I asked, hoping the men from earlier did not have the title husband or deceased husband behind them.

She seemed nervous as she looked at Alice. When Alice shrugged, Bella answered, "I was an actress in a play, that's why I'm dressed so strangely." She shot a quick glance, which I didn't miss, at my sister and Alice just nodded. I was impressed by her accomplishments. I always wanted to play piano on stage, but my family would never allow it. I was glad that this woman had broken free of her family's expectations and done something many people couldn't.

"That's quite interesting," my mother smiled because she always loved the theaters there. "Are you a singer or just a silent character on stage?"

"Bella can sing very well. Remember when our school went on a trip to New York to see Broadway? I watched her performance and we met. I would recognize these strange clothes anywhere." She giggled, making Bella's beautiful skin flush deliciously again. I was tempted to touch the redness across her cheeks, almost like I wanted to sink my teeth into her, but it was entirely wrong of me to even think about doing such a thing. I went back to reading the daily newspaper, but my mother's words again brought the strange sense of needing to know more come back.

"Do you have any family in town?"

The girl shook her head. "No, I don't. My family is in Europe and New York. I'm still not sure how I ended up in Chicago. Much less in front of your car," she frowned.

Europe? That was a long way to travel alone without accompaniment. It was very strange for such a young girl to come all the way across the ocean by herself. "And your parents?" I wondered aloud, surprising them all.

She didn't even think about her black answer. "Dead. My grandma should be in New York, though." her voice was cold, as if that was something she didn't speak of and I immediately felt bad for bringing it up.

My mom rubbed her hand gently, an action of comfort, "I am sorry, sweetheart, would you like to stay with us until you find her?" she wasn't asking, I could already see from the look in her eyes that Bella would be staying here.

"I couldn't impose-"

Alice bumped her and glared. "Yes you can, and you will. I'll make up the guest bedroom. Come on, let's get you out of those theater clothes," Alice chuckled, and I noticed Bella roll her eyes as they went up the steps.

I noticed holes in her back pockets as I watched her hips sway with each step, until my mother smacked me over the head with a wooden spoon and I cringed. "Edward Anthony Masen, get to your room, now. You should be ashamed of yourself." She chuckled at my fake ashamed expression, and I went upstairs obediently. I learned a long time ago it was better to listen to my mother than disagree with her.

But my thoughts were clouded now. Bella was interesting, not like all of the other girls I'd met in school, and she just had an air about her that I couldn't exactly place. Her brown eyes held a certain unspoken pain, but her smile spoke stronger than anything and it said she was an independent, tough girl. I marched through the halls slowly, with my hands in my pockets, and when I did not see Bella or Alice in the bedroom, I looked around. I stopped, totally stunned to see Bella through the cracked open bathroom door, sitting in the bathtub. Alice was brushing through her thick brown hair as she cried into her arms that were crossed over her legs.

"Why did this happen to me, Ally?" So she knew Alice well enough to give her a nickname?

My sister sighed deeply. "Because you deserve a chance, Bella. Give it time, you'll see." she assured her, but the small girl went back to weeping and I felt my heart break for her. I'd do anything to turn all of those tears into smiles, and I didn't know why. Why did she need a chance? Had she done something unthinkable in her home before? The possibility was more than likely. No one even knew who she was and she just appeared out of what seemed like nowhere.

Then, Alice began humming a sweet song, and when Bella heard it she laughed out one small chuckle before chiming in, a few octaves higher than my small sister. I looked away when her arms moved, blushing when I felt like a peeping tom. I walked away, the sounds of their harmonizing sweet voices in my ears. There was one thing I was sure about in all this random chaos: I could definitely get used to having a woman like Bella around.


	3. Miss Bella's Blues

**Chapter Three**

**Miss Bella's Blues**

**(Bpov)**

It wasn't until Alice and I went upstairs that she explained to me what the hell she was doing here. She shut the guest bedroom door and put her hand over my mouth before a long line of profanities was unleashed from it. I looked around and cracked a smile at the soft floral wallpaper, the big iron bed frame, the antique furniture that was probably brand new, and the general old time feeling of their guest room.

"Calm. Down. Bella," she whispered and when I took in a deep breath, she let me go, "I'd be more worried about telling my mom you were a performer in New York than being back eighty-seven years. I know you were born there, but come on did you have to make my mom love you more than me already?" she giggled and my eyes narrowed.

"I said that to explain why I was dressed so differently. I don't even know if Broadway exists yet. What are you doing here Alice? Why are we in the past?" I asked quickly, before she could even take in another breath.

"I'm from this time, Bella. I traveled just when you moved away from New York, and I understood my purpose when we met. I came back a few hours before you did, but time works different when we're jumping it – it's been months since I've been back here, but only a half a day there. Are you following me?" She was whispering as she rummaged through the closet and pulled out a few garments.

"I think so, but why am I here?" I understood why she came back, but why me? What could time possibly benefit from my bad language and bleak demeanor? It was odd that Alice had just come to Forks to make me come to Chicago with her eighty-seven years before we met, but this all was too inconceivable to even think about that right now.

She grinned as she began peeling clothes off of me. Alice and I had become comfortable enough with each other over the last year that we even took showers together in the morning just to save water. I was wrapped up in a towel on the bed when she finished brushing out my messy hair. "You're here because you make someone from this time very happy. I can't say much, because it would mess up time, but you will be happier here than anywhere else you've ever been."

I snorted. "I'm never happy," I reached into my pants pockets and found my cell phone, and my iPod. She sighed deeply.

"I have a charger in my room, but you can only use the iPod at night when everyone is asleep and your door's locked. And keep it very low so people don't hear it. The cell phone won't work anyway, but it's nice to see our pictures every once and a while – when you are in here alone at night." She took them from me and put them in the top drawer of one of the tall white dressers.

"No one will look in there?" I wondered curiously and she gasped.

"A woman's underwear drawer is her own business, and if my brothers are intelligent, they won't even set foot in here," she grinned at me as we popped over to the bathroom and I laughed aloud at what I saw.

It looked like we were actually in a vintage house and I assumed that was because we were. There was a claw-foot tub, a single sink without any cabinets, a big mirror, an opened window that looked out to a lush backyard, and a toilet. The walls had wood halfway up them, and light blue wallpaper the to the ceiling. She started the warm bath water and smiled apologetically.

"We don't have pressurized showers yet, so it's gonna be a bubble bath. I know it's not as relaxing." She dumped in some kind of mixture and the scent of lavender and summer made tears come to my eyes. I was never going to see Rose or Frankie, and as much as I hated to say it, or Jacob again. I was happy about the last one, but Rose and Frankie were my best friends. Frankie was the best big brother any girl could have, and he was going to be so worried about me.

"What about Rose and my brother? What's happened to my body? My motorcycle?" I asked as I wrapped my arms around my legs and pulled them to my chest.

"Rose lives a few blocks away," she confessed to me and my smile was happy again; of course she did she was Alice's best friend. "And she's actually dating my brother Emmett. You haven't met him yet. But Frankie...well I'm sorry about Frankie. Your bike is here – kinda – your body is sort of trapped right now. Time isn't moving for you anymore, Bella. It's just stopped." She got my hair wet with some sort of shampoo, and gave me a wash cloth to clean my dirty arms and chest.

"What do you mean 'kinda'? Alice, that's an eleven-thousand dollar motorcycle!" I tried to keep my voice normal, but my eyes darkened with anger. I pushed my thoughts about how the fuck my time had stopped away and concentrated on months of saving gone to waste.

"Well you went through time, and so did your bike, but it got a bit downgraded if you know what I mean?" she tried to break the news to me ominously so I shrugged in anticipation.

"It's a Schwinn."

A...Schwinn..._bicycle? _"Oh god," I groaned and put my head in my hands. This really was punishment for my sins of underage drinking all night and partying wasn't it? I was stuck in dark pre-golden twenties hell with long suffocating dresses and old music. Lovely. My brother was somewhere lost in time because I stupidly tried to kill myself, and my motorcycle was a hunk of rusty old metal.

"I feel so bad. Why did this happen to me, Ally?" I was crying freely now, all curled up into myself.

"Because you deserve a chance," she spoke with reverence, like she knew that I did and there was no question about it.

But I wasn't so sure. What was so special about me? I was ugly, too skinny, and broken on the inside. Well, my heart was broken anyway. I didn't know who I would make happy in this time, or how, but I knew it would never be love. I could never trust enough to love again. Alice began soothing me with a familiar song, from our favorite movie The Color Purple. She was humming the tune in a low key, so I took on the high part.

"I feel like we're in that movie right now, except I'm not Whoppi Goldburg." Alice chuckled under her breath.

I smiled at let my head fall back against the tub, "it's okay I'm not Shug, either. What am I gonna do Alice? I have no idea how things even work in this time!" I whispered it so if anyone was listening beyond the door they wouldn't hear me.

"They're just like in the books you read, dummy. Almost just like _Pride and Prejudice_, but don't talk that proper. And no more cussing, I swear my mom almost had a heart attack," she laughed, "it's really easy and I'll be here with you every step of the way. I promise." I stood and toweled off before she made sure the coast was clear, and we bounded to the guest room.

She held up a white under dress that was almost see through, and I pulled it over my head before she handed me a thicker white cotton dress that would hit the tops of my feet. It fell just short of my collarbones, covered my entire chest, and had small sleeves on the shoulders. "It's for the summer time, and it's proper for us to dress this way. Don't worry; I've got an entire wardrobe you can borrow. Even though I love those jeans and that Blondie shirt," she sighed as she folded me clothes and put them away in the dresser with the rest of my things.

"When did pants become a major thing here?" I fumbled with the confounded blue waist tie and she stepped behind me to do it for me.

"Not for a long time, girl. Sorry." She chuckled when my face fell.

There were more questions though. "Do you see the future or something, Alice? You said you knew why you had to meet me and I was wondering why." I turned around to her when she finished tying the dress up, me along with it, and sighed.

"Yes, sometimes. Only when I need to though and it comes to me when I sleep. You cannot tell anyone Bella. People here aren't like in 2005, I'll be committed if anyone knows." She put her hands on either side of my face because she was that serious, so I nodded.

"I'd never tell anyone Alice. You're my best friend." We hooked arms as we went into the wide hallways, passing random people who looked like they were working.

"Who are they?"

"The help. Bella it's something we did in this time that I heartily disagree with too, but my mom likes having a maid or something," she grumbled when we finally came down the steps. She went on to explain that they stayed in the house during the week and went home on the weekends. At least they were paid.

Elizabeth Masen, which had to be the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my entire life, was sitting with a book on the sofa I woke up on. She had hair the same color as Edward, pale skin dotted with freckles, and ruby red lips. Her green eyes flashed to us when and she smiled when she saw me dressed a bit more "properly".

"Much better, you look well. The doctor told me if your fever has gone down you should be fine. Glenda has supper ready if you girls are hungry," she smiled again and went toward what I assumed was the dining room.

It was a very grand room, with a twelve person table in the center, and mounds of food on the table beside Edward, who I assumed was Emmett, and a man with his head stuck in a newspaper. "Mr. Masen, meet Isabella. Isabella, this is my husband Edward Masen senior." She made the man lower the paper and he smiled at me.

Edward did look a lot like his father, except he had bronze hair and was about forty years younger. "Miss Isabella it would be a pleasure having you until you find your grandmother in New York. Please, sit while the meal is still warm," he gestured to the seat beside Edward and Alice shrugged in apology as I sat.

"It's good to see you looking better, Miss Bella," Edward whispered to me when everyone began talking amongst themselves.

I smiled and took a bite of some of the turkey stuffing before I responded. "I feel much better, thank you. And...thank you for helping me. I know I was a bit of mess." He smiled and didn't say anything, but I had another question for him.

"Uh," he looked up at me again, dazzling me with his deep green eyes and his lopsided smirk, "uh, did you find a bike? A," I gulped, "a _Schwinn_?" I spoke the word like it was vinegar in my mouth.

He laughed at my disdain, "Yes a black one with a basket," I stared at him in horror and he continued, "when Emmett remembered you said you had a bike, I went back and found it just in the bushes by where we almost hit you."

"Lovely." I grimaced and Alice giggled loudly to distract everyone from my face.

Edward was...sort of beautiful as I looked at him now. Sure, he would look so much better in some skinny jeans and a band shirt, but I could still see the form of subtle muscles on his arms, the way his chest was just a bit too wide for the rest of his body, and the strength his face held. He was like a carving of a Greek god, but in flesh. He looked over at me with one raised eyebrow, and I turned back to my plate, blushing furiously. Oh yes, he caught my staring, and he was grinning like the Cheshire cat now because of it.

"So Bella," Elizabeth started, "I figured since you only have your stage clothes, Alice and I would take you shopping tomorrow. Edward can drive," she shrugged and my eyes went wide.

"I've got money of my own," Alice kicked me under the table and I bit back the shriek of pain. Apparently, I wasn't going to be allowed to be very independent here was I? I grimaced when Alice grinned wide, a smile I knew all too well as her shopping face, and responded as politely as I could to the lady of the house.

"But I would love to go shopping with you."

After dinner was over, because I didn't have much of an appetite anyway, I sat outside on the front porch swing with a glass of water. The porch was really wide, like ones you only saw on old houses, with dark wooden floors like inside of the house. There were ten white pillars holding it up to the house, and five steps leading into a fenced pleasant garden in front of the house. It was beautiful here without the noise of cars, or the sound of loud music blaring from shops all around. People were just walking by, hand in hand, happily on their way somewhere.

Alice was at the door, but she just pushed Edward out and when he saw me he smiled. I looked at the handsome man and he blushed before speaking after a few awkward seconds. "H-hey."

"Hello stranger." I waved, but continued to watch the swaying trees in the park across the street. It was very beautiful around here. The houses were a good twenty feet apart, the green grass was lush and long, and the summer flowers swayed in the warm wind.

"Alice told me to give you this, God knows why. I can't stand reading Shakespeare unless it's necessary." He handed me the book with a look of disdain that could have matched mine when he said my Hayabusa was a bright pink Schwinn now.

"I love it," I explained and ran my hands across the first edition copy of _Romeo and Juliet _lovingly.

He stood by one of the white wooden pillars and looked at his feet. "Must be a woman thing." He shrugged and my eyes widened.

I had to bite my tongue from telling him just what women could do, so I just sat it on my lap and continued looking at the peaceful sunset. He looked up at me and our eyes met for a few moments. I felt like he was trying to look inside of me and find something. I was trying to do the same thing, and what I did find was a beautiful soul and kind eyes. No matter how much of a sexist pig he seemed now, inside he was a nice person and I'd give him a chance.

"I'm going to head up to bed now, Edward. Thank you for the book."

And, stupidly, I made my first mistake.

I went over to him very slowly, got on my tip toes to reach his six foot tall height, and kissed his warm cheek, very gently. His eyes were wide as saucers until I went into the house to be chewed out by Alice, but I simply couldn't bring myself to care.

"Are you crazy? I know that's totally cool in the future, but BELLA HERE IT'S NOT PROPER! Do you want to mess everything up? Let's just pray no one else saw your little display of affection toward my brother besides me!" She was shouting as we made our way to my room, but I wasn't listening.

"Mhm whatever you say Alice," I sighed and fell back on the hard bed. I stared at the wooden ceilings in total bliss.

"Oh shut up, Bella! Tomorrow your etiquette lessons begin and I won't go easy on you now!" She threw me my iPod and shut the door quickly, still grumbling to herself for everyone to hear.

I didn't care if I made Alice mad: it was worth it. The spark I felt in that one touch was a million times what I felt whenever I kissed Jacob, and from the still stunned look on Edward's face – he felt it too.


	4. The Diary and Rufus

**Chapter Four**

**The Diary and Rufus**

**(Epov)**

All night, I could hear her crying. She would try and hum a sweet song to herself, but end up sobbing when it finished. I couldn't help but ache to go to her, hold her in my arms and tell her it would be alright. Whatever could make such an innocent girl cry had to be pretty bad. She said the name "Frankie" a lot, and I assumed it must have been her lover or her husband. She looked my age, maybe even a little bit younger, so how could she be married? Why did I feel such jealousy for this Frankie person? She wasn't mine, and she was too odd for my liking anyway...right?

If that was so, then why did I feel a million volts of electricity going through me when her lips met my cheek in a small, soft kiss. Clearly it was not even a romantic gesture toward me, yet I couldn't stop thinking about how her lips, marred by her lavender and freesia perfume, would taste against my own. This woman was bringing out a side of me that I never knew existed. Before tonight, I had every intention of waking up on my eighteenth birthday and signing up for the army. Now though, I didn't ever want to leave her side. I wanted to look into those brown eyes and figure out everything they never spoke. She was very independent though, my father said when she'd excused herself. He could see the fire in her eyes when we would talk about how women should act, and he told me I should watch out for her and her strangeness.

I didn't want to though. I wanted to know her. I wanted to be hers and only hers and have her as my own. Something in one kiss had changed me completely and I accepted the change from being cold and unfeeling to open and warm. It was when I heard her quiet voice call out my name, that I rushed over and opened her door gently. It was half past four in the morning, and she was sleeping soundly, wrapped up in blankets and buried in the pillows. She was still crying, but no noise came from it, and just as I was about to leave and dismiss the sound of my name as temporary insanity on my part, she spoke it again. Very clearly.

So clearly that she could have been awake, but she wasn't. "Edward, please don't go." she whispered, clutching her pillow tightly in her hands.

I fell to my knees as quietly as I could and took her small hand in mine. She was so cold to the touch, but her expression evened out into one of serenity. I kissed the back of her hand, feeling the fire run through me again as she sighed deeply and finally rested in peace. Alice was going to murder me for being in here, but I couldn't leave her when she so very obviously wanted me by here. I moved the tangled brown hair from her face and put her hand to my lips again.

"I'll be here when you wake but you won't see me, Miss Bella." I whispered to her, and sat down to watch her smile as she dreamed.

She would move occasionally, but never let go of my hand. I could hear the maids moving around in the house, starting breakfast and getting the house ready for when my mom would wake at sunrise. I kissed her forehead once, loving how easy it was to be around her and the fire without losing myself, and stole out into the hallways, but not before hearing her speak again. She said my name, already feeling that I wasn't beside her anymore and I smiled at how she could tell.

I turned and ran right into my father as he came down the stairs on his way to work. "Oh, Edward. What are you doing up so early?" he asked and straightened out his tie in one of the hallway mirrors.

My father was a lawyer and expected me to run his business when I was old enough and well educated. It was never in my interest though, and now that I didn't pursue of military career, I was thinking about something in music. It would be hard to disappoint him though, and I knew he would disown me and give everything to Emmett. He didn't understand me, but that was because he never took the time to ask me anything about myself, and I was alright with that. He was busy and luckily he did have someone else to give all his fortune to, because I certainly didn't want it. Maybe Bella and I could head to New York and I could play with her on Broadway.

I realized he was waiting for my answer, because I was just outside of Bella's door. "I was going to the bathroom and heard Miss Bella call out for me, but she was asleep when I looked inside." I had been told many times by my family that I was such a good liar I'd do perfect in the courtroom. My dad even bought the story, so maybe they were right.

"Well, let her sleep. Your mother told me she was a mess yesterday and young women seem to need their beauty sleep," he rolled his eyes and clapped my shoulder before heading downstairs. I heard his car start and he was gone.

It was almost six in the morning and before my mother could wake up, I lay back down in bed for an hour of rest that I desperately would need if we were to be shopping today. I loathed going shopping with my mother and as a result, I wore clothes that she picked out. It was just lucky that Alice went with her, because she seemed to have a sense for what looked alright and what didn't. Today, I wanted to look alright for Bella, so I woke up Alice around seven and made her pick out what I should wear.

"Why do you care what you look like today? Usually you're just in those old trousers and a button up shirt." she grimaced at me as she sipped on a cup of coffee.

"Well, I figured since I have such a talented little sister I should do all I can not to offend her when we go out on the town." Unlike the rest of my family, Alice seemed to see through the lies.

"Mhm, sure. Wear the black coat and the black pants. Don't slick your hair back like mom says you should," she shivered and so did I. I really hated putting that grease in my hair: after a few hours the wild bronze mess would stick up in weird places and make me look like a cockatoo anyway.

She left me to dress. "I've got to get Bella up. Don't come in like I saw you doing this morning," she warned with a grin and my face turned red. Of course Alice would be the one to catch me like a peeping tom in Bella's room. She left before I could apologize, so I just got dressed and went to meet my mother in the sitting room. She was having her morning coffee like Alice had and nodded in approval at my attire.

"It's nice to see you looking so dapper." She kissed my forehead as she went to the kitchen. She came back a few moments later with measuring tape and the car keys. I would be driving them around creation all day; I figured I might as well enjoy myself in a nice car.

Then as I was about to head out the door, Bella and Alice came downstairs and I had to hold my breath so I wouldn't gape at how impossibly beautiful she looked. Alice had done Bella's hair up into a bun with the small white pearl pins I had gotten her last Christmas, and her thin bangs hung down across her forehead and the sides of her face. She looked like a model from Paris in the deep blue dress that barely touched the middle of her legs, but somehow even more gorgeous. I looked away when our eyes met and she blushed, coating her pale skin with a delicious rose color. I felt uncomfortable in my pants when she bit her full lip between her teeth, and decided to go out and start the car.

They were close to follow, and Bella chuckled when she saw the car that had almost hit her today. My mother and Alice sat in the back, and I held my hand out for Bella to get into the passenger seat. She took it gratefully, lingering a few seconds after she had been seated, and I spoke. "I promise I won't try and hit you today." She giggled and covered her white smile with her hand when I got into the driver's side.

She made sure mother and Alice were occupied with several fabrics before she leaned over and whispered, "About last night, I would say I'm dreadfully sorry for committing such an unladylike act toward you, but I'm not," she laughed when my eyes widened, "just, when Alice asks what I told you, tell her I said that's how we say thank you in New York." she winked at me and went back to sitting up straight beside me. I fumbled with the key, my thoughts still on her remorseless words, because that meant she wanted that kiss to mean something more than it did.

She sat beside me, twisting her fingers in the cotton fabric of her dress until I parked outside of my mother's favorite retail store. Bella spoke then and grabbed a few bills from inside of her shoe.

"I have money, I know a hundred dollars really isn't that much-" my eyes widened when she began to count the twenty dollar bills, and my mother's mouth fell open.

"How does a young lady have such an amount of money on her person?" mother asked, looking seriously at Bella. I knew the look to be one of disbelief.

Alice spoke then, as if she were Bella's mouthpiece. "The theater pays her, and she's been saving for a while. Right, Bella?"

Bella nodded and handed the money to my mom and smiled. "I trust you and Alice can find everything I'll need with this?" she gestured toward the fresh looking bills and both of the girls in the backseat nodded.

After helping Bella out, and not letting go of her hand until she was steady on her feet, I helped my sister and my mother out of the back. "We will be in here for a few hours, Edward. Will you come along and hold the bags?" I fought the groan inside of myself only because Bella's eyes widened in terror when they said a few hours, and nodded. I was eager to see how she reacted to getting so much attention paid to her. Was she like all the other girls and relished in the limelight of attention, or shy away from it?

She definitely shied away from all of the extra attention. She was a girl that didn't like to be taken care of, or maybe wasn't so used to it. She did work for herself and have her own money, where were her grandparents, or was she old enough to not need them anymore?

"How old are you, Bella?" I asked as we sat back and let Alice and my mother pick out several fabric patterns and continue through the madness of the store.

"Seventeen, I'll be eighteen in September," she answered. So she wasn't old enough to be away from her family yet, and her parents as she said before had died already.

"Who did you live with in New York?" I asked, unable to stop the curiosity inside of myself.

She looked up at my eyes, making my knees weak with her sad brown ones. "My brother, Frankie. After my parents died he took care of me, but he went off this spec of a town called Forks in Washington, and I was living alone when I came here. I still don't remember how that all happened, either." She frowned and looked down at her shoes. I felt myself exhale in relief. So Frankie was her brother, not some long lost lover that one day I might have to compete with.

"What about school?" She was still young enough to be in it, right?

She seemed happy about admitting this, "I finished a year early. Actually, just a few days ago."

She was educated, beautiful, a bit confused, and less of a mystery now. "How do you plan to find your grandparents?" I wondered aloud after a few moments of watching Alice argue with a girl and finally get the fabrics she wanted.

"I figured I'd go up there soon and see if they still live in the house I knew they did before. I'll come back for my stuff and leave you all in peace after that." Something about the way she spoke told me she had no intention of surviving past that point. She sounded so down, so hurt on the inside by something and when she wrapped her little arms around her middle I knew there was something wrong.

I looked around, hopeful to find something that had often given my comfort when my life was less than what I wanted it to be. I found a little black book, and handed it to her. "Start a journal. Hell, I've even got one. It's better than having all that jazz going on up there eat your heart out. I'm here for you too Bella. If there's ever anything you need, I'm not far, okay? Even if you decided to stay in New York, I'd very much like to be your friend. We could write letters." I hated saying the word friend when I found myself already liking her more than that.

She smiled and rubbed the surface of the book gently. "That's actually perfect. Thank you, I will. And I do want to be friends, you're awesome." she nudged my side with her arm, and I frowned at the word. Not many people were described as "awesome" people, unless they were some sort of hero in a story. Maybe people in New York used the statement more liberally than here.

"Well, you are rather _awesome_ yourself. I've never met a girl like you, before." I admitted, making her roll her eyes.

She looked up at me again, and I realized how small she was. She had to be only a hundred pounds and an inch or so taller than Alice. From what I saw in her other clothes though, she was shapely and perfect; just the thoughts made me want to explode. She distracted my mind again, speaking thoughtfully. "I am pretty unique, I guess. I don't like being taken care of and I've been told I'm way too much for any man to handle," she laughed but I could already tell that that statement was true.

"Any man who would try to reign over you and break your free spirit doesn't deserve you, Bella. I bet people say that because you speak your mind, but I find that to be very attractive in a woman. We need stronger female leaders in our society now. No matter how much my father would like to disagree." I spoke with reverence, and she blushed deeply at the true statement. She took my arm and we began following my mom and Alice. We both noticed the buzzing shock between us this time, but she didn't let go of me either.

"You speak so differently when we're alone. Why?" she asked me, still looking at me like she was in shock.

"I guess it's because I don't feel the need to be who I am supposed to be with you. It's ," I laughed when her mouth popped open. She closed it quickly and continued with a small smile, holding me closer to her.

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Edward." she sighed, making my frown at her strange use of words again. Now I was sure that it was just a New York thing, because she shook her head when I started to ask what she meant.

"Trust me; I'm just weird that way. Theater talk," she assured me and we finally met my mom and Alice at the checkout counter. They took Bella away from me and measured her, picked out a few garden hats, and we were on our way home.

She sat a little bit closer to me now, and when we got home she actually waited for me to help her out instead of opening the door herself. Maybe I was changing her too, the way she blushed when our hands met again told me that she felt something else with me. If not romance, maybe lust and I was alright with that. Having my fears of her not even wanting anything to do with me squashed brought a smile to my lips and I happily unloaded all of the hat and shoe boxes. We parked in the backyard this time, and I hoped that Emmett had Rufus out on a walk as he usually did toward noon.

"Oh!" I heard Bella make an oomph sound and I dropped what I was doing, only to see her smiling and laughing as the family dog licked all over her face. I felt my heart racing, hoping he wouldn't bite her or hurt her in any way, but it was the opposite. He had knocked her down in the grass outside, and instead of with everyone else he met, he didn't attack her. He liked her and was licking up and down her face excitedly as she rubbed behind his ears. She didn't seem repulsed that there was a fifty pound dog on top of her, but happy. As if she had found a new friend.

"Rufus," I called and he jumped off the chuckling girl he licked my hands when he toppled over toward me. Alice, stunned by the dog's actions, helped Bella to her feet, but she wouldn't have it. She sat on her knees, patted her legs, and Rufus went running toward her again. She rubbed his ears and kissed his forehead when he started sniffing all over her chest and clothes.

"He's so sweet, who's dog is this?"

"He's Edward's dog, but usually he barks and snaps at people he doesn't know. Last summer he ate Jessica Stanley's boot right off her foot because she came in the yard." Alice explained. This was the first time my dog had shown any sign of affection toward anyone, and it just happened to be the woman I liked, and she liked him too.

"Well, he's a sweetie, but I should get up before I smell like dog for the rest of the day," she laughed and stood up, patting his belly when he rolled over with her foot.

Then she noticed that all of us were staring at her, dumbfounded. Including my mother. She frowned and looked at Alice who just shrugged. This was just one of the many things that I knew made this girl perfect. There were grass stains on her knees, a few hairs out of place, but she held a sweet smile on her pink lips. She loved my best friend in the world just as much as I did and it only made my heart swell with affection when she kissed his nose gently.

She looked at me, still confused as to why we were all staring at her in wonder. "What? I love dogs."


	5. Juke Joint Jezebel

**Chapter Five**

**The Party, Juke Joint Jezebel**

**(BPOV)**

_June 11th, 1918_

_Dear Diary,_

_This is the first entry I've ever written in a diary...ever. Alice tells me to keep it in my underwear drawer so I no one reads it._

_It's been a week that I've been here, and I spend my days reading, walking around the house exploring, playing with Rufus, and watching Edward from a distance. His lips haven't met my skin since that night on the porch. And I really wished they would, but he seems to avoid me now, I don't understand why._

_I really dislike this place; I mean, yes, there is an incredibly good looking man named Edward and his sweet dog Rufus who looks a lot like Molly – my dog from Seattle. But Edward, he's something else. He's NOT the selfish womanizing dude I thought he was after all. I hope we can be friends...even though every time our skin meets I feel like I'm going to explode with satisfaction and I want to be so much more. I never felt this way about Jake. Or...anyone for that matter._

_He seems perfect, but if I keep messing up, he's going to realize from way further away than NYC. About a hundred years away from NYC right now. I don't even know if my great grandma is alive, but the Masen's have told me I can stay for as long as I like. But...truth be told, I miss jeans, these fucking dresses are going to be the death of me, I swear they will. Alice ordered too many of them, in so many colors and shapes and sizes, I will never, EVER criticize myself for looking too manly in jeans again_

_I met Emmett yesterday and damn, was he a handful. He told me he had been avoiding me because he was grounded, but he was a goofball. He swung me up in his arms in a hug when I forgave him, even though men usually didn't do that in this time. I could imagine him loving video games and fast cars in my time. In many ways, he reminded me of Frankie._

_...Frankie. Please let Frankie be okay, and not a total wreck. I wonder how time works, how long I've been gone. I should ask Alice, she'd know. Everything here seems to dead and lifeless, so boring without the intensity of speed and sound._

_I miss my Hayabusa, my dinky apartment in the almost non-existent downtown Forks, and how much easier it was to just say what I wanted and not watch every word that came out of my mouth. It has been so long since I broke out into song and danced on my bed in the dark._

_I feel like singing._

I shut the little book, grabbed my dirty clothes, and headed down the stairs. Elizabeth would say that it was entire improper for a woman to be washing her own laundry, but I didn't care at the moment. The gentle sway of my hands in the soapy water made me relax and that was something I really needed to do right now.

Alice followed me down to the wash bins, frowning all the while. "You look unhappy," she sighed finally, pushing me away from the tedious task of getting grass stains out without bleach.

"I am fucking miserable here, Alice. It's been a week, and I'm suffocating in dresses and listening to music that just doesn't have the beat I need. That and your fucking brother won't even spend ten minutes with me anymore!" I tried to keep from shouting, but the women working looked over at us strangely.

"Because he's got a boner whenever he sees you," she laughed, making my eyes bug out wide, "oh forget Edward. We'll go do something entirely improper and Bella-ish tonight, okay? After mom's party, around six, I'll get you and we'll go in the woods."

"The woods? Alice what the hell are we gonna do in the woods in 1918-"

"Shut up, Bella." she smiled and walked away from me, skipping outside into the patches of wild daisies outside.

Elizabeth was having some sort of garden party today, and she wanted me to wear a dress that would make me feel free. They picked out some sort of fabric, just for the occasion that had a soft purple and pink small floral print with a brown waist tie. It almost looked like something I would wear in the summer time in Washington; if it was about a foot higher, because of course it hid my legs. It started at noon which was why she was out buying food and drinks at the market with Glenda.

I was just hanging up my clothes and I decided, after looking around, that I'd lie down on my back in the grass and watch the clouds go by. It was easy to pretend I was on the roof of our condo building, just watching time pass. Until two green eyes looked down at my face, worry replaced by confusion as I blinked up at him.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked, still looking like a floating head in my vision.

I nodded, "just fine. Lie down with me," I grabbed his hand and pulled him to his knees. His face was skeptical, but when he finally settled beside me, he looked at the clouds.

"What are we doing?"

I snorted and pushed him gently with my arm. "Watching the clouds. You mean to tell me you've never done this before?" I asked, letting my hand fall beside his in the cool grass.

"It's been a long time," he admitted, still watching the puffy white globs above us travel across the spots of sky we could actually see.

We sat for a few moments in silence. I loved feeling the electric air around us again, and didn't realize how much I missed it. His fingers touched mine gently, and I let him feel the cold skin of my hand. Every touch brought back the fire, such a sweet warm feeling, and I loved it. "Will you go with me somewhere tonight?" he asked, looking into my eyes as we both sat up.

So after nearly a week of ignoring me he thought I would just jump for a date? Well, I would have, if I hadn't have already made plans with Alice to go into the freaking woods tonight. "I can't, I'm doing something with Alice tonight." his face fell, but he nodded.

"Alright," he stood, but I tugged him back down and he fell with an oomph onto his backside. He looked at me incredulously, but when my eyebrow rose he looked away.

I was on my knees in front of him with my hands on his shoulders. I pushed his jaw up so he would look in my eyes. "I'm not saying no. I'm saying not tonight because if I don't show up, your sister is going to kick my ass," I laughed and his eyes danced with my honesty. He seemed to like it when I screwed up and cursed, but it was just something I'd done so much I doubted it would ever go away. If he really liked me, he'd accept me as I was: bag language and all.

"Okay, tomorrow then?" I felt my insides rush with butterflies, but I kept my poker face up and played hard to get – at least for a few moments.

I sat back down, crossed my legs and pretended to be thinking about it enough to make him start to fidget with his clothes. "Sure, after my lessons with Alice, I will go somewhere with you," he exhaled noticeably and a cute blush crossed his face.

"Alright, so I guess I will see you again at the garden party," he stumbled quickly over his words when we both stood and I frowned – wasn't that hours away?

Then, his mother, along with many women and their daughters came over to us. I could see embarrassment coating her cheeks when she introduced me. "Everyone, this is Bella. She's one of Alice's friends from New York."

"She looks positively savage," one of the brown haired girls laughed and I looked down and saw dirt and grass on my dress because I had been lying in the garden.

"Quite improper if you ask me," one of the ladies whispered disdainfully.

"Is everyone from New York so strange?" The girl with blonde hair laughed, loud enough for me to hear and I turned my glare on her.

Edward thought quickly and wrapped his strong arm around my waist and clamped a hand down on my mouth before I could tell her off. "Bella needs to be heading upstairs to get ready for this little party you all are having. She was out here helping me with the garden, so if you'll excuse us." He pulled me along with him as I continued to shout incoherently at the stunned blonde girl. They were laughing by the time we got inside and his mother was apologizing, saying I spoke like a sailor because I was brought up by my older brother.

He let me go when we were in my room and I huffed loudly, "what _fucking_ bitches! Could they not tell that I was right there, hearing everything they said?" he stared at me in shock as I ranted and threw my dress for this stupid party down on the bed.

I reached behind myself, trying and always missing the small zipper at the top of my shoulder blades. "Help me with this damn thing would you?" I asked, pointing to the zipper in the back of my dress that was impossible to get down by myself. He was still shell shocked from the way I spat my words and threw things around as I tried to make myself look less "savage".

He coughed, looking embarrassed and I realized I was not being Miss Bella from 1918, I was Bella Swan, the girl from 5th street in 2005. And that wasn't okay.

"Oh! I'm so sorry you had to hear that, Edward. I lose my temper sometimes and it takes the best part of me away," I laughed because that was so true, "never mind, please excuse me while I find Alice."

He shook his head and came over. "It's alright, I help Alice with this sometimes," he zipped it down to my hips, touching the skin there in the sweetest way as he came down. I swear my eyes rolled back in my head a little by the time he was finished. He'd already walked over to the door when I opened my eyes again and the electricity from his touch was gone. I held the front up, even though he was facing the door when he spoke.

"Not a problem and I don't mind. I grew up with Emmett and Alice. Their cussing battles are quite interesting." He laughed, making me blush because I was that bad. I'd have to start watching myself better, especially around women that Elizabeth was familiar with. I felt bad for making her embarrassed.

"Thank you. You really helped me out there. I was about ready to rip her head off," I admitted as I fumbled with my other dress quickly. He didn't realize I was changing, which was alright with me, but if he turned around he'd definitely get and eye full of my white bra and underwear. I was so glad I had decided to wear one to the party, and that Alice said it was much better than using a corset. I pulled up the pretty off white fabric and started doing my hair before he replied.

"No problem, excuse me I need to get dressed." He turned around, frowning when he saw I was already ready – except the stupid floppy white hat I had to wear. He looked a little disappointed, if I did say so myself.

"Thank you Mr. Masen, I promise to watch my temper a bit better down there." He nodded and left me alone in the room. I could finally take a deep breath and breathe out through my nose. Stupid fucking blonde girls. Alice came in and offered to help me, but I decided to let my soft brown wavy hair curl around my body and my back. I put on the hat and we locked arms before heading outside to the lavish looking party in the back yard.

There were tables, not plastic tables, but real wooden tables and big white umbrella-like things covering the women from the sun. The blonde girl glared at me and I shot back one murderous stare that she shivered away from as Alice and I came over to where Elizabeth stood beside a beautiful blonde woman.

"That is Rose's mom, the richest woman in town and a very good friend to my mom. Be nice," Alice hissed lowly as we came over, but my eyes we suddenly busy looking for Rosalie.

Elizabeth put an arm around my shoulders when we came over, interrupting their conversation. "Oh, Mrs. Hale, this is Bella and of course you know my daughter Alice," I shot Mrs. Masen an apologetic look and she squeezed my shoulder as she walked away. She forgave me, and that was good.

"Rose," Alice grinned over at her friend and my eyes went wide as I saw just how beautiful Rosalie looked in her old time dress with her blonde hair falling in waves down her back as well. She was gorgeous back in Forks; I couldn't even imagine her being more beautiful, in a different way, now.

Her eyes were excited as she took my hands, but I wasn't going to have any of that. "Rose, come here and give me a big New York welcome!" I laughed and we embraced happily, giddy at how good it was to finally see each other. Obviously she knew what I meant, and that meant Alice had talked to her already.

"Sorry that I couldn't make an appearance earlier. No one knows about me and Emmett," she whispered before we parted.

Her mother had already gone away, but some of the other daughters came over to where the three of us stood: including the blonde from earlier. "You know this...woman?" she asked, looking at Rose.

"Yeah, I do, Lauren. She's one of my best friends from New York. Bella's a performer," she boasted, making me blush when the girl's mouths dropped open.

"I bet she's just a silent actor. Someone like her could never sing," Lauren rolled her eyes. I felt my fists ball up and before I could bite the inside of my cheek, once again, I felt an arm around my waist, and Edward pulled me away.

"Miss Bella, would you dance with me?" He asked, ignoring the faces of the hurt and bewildered girls.

I heard a slow song coming from the piano on the sun patio, but I agreed. Anything to get away from those gossips was what I needed. Even if it was dancing, which I did very poorly. "Edward I don't know how-"

He pulled me up onto the tops of his feet gently and whispered in my ear. "Don't worry, I've got you." He pulled me closer, just so I would see I wasn't going to fall. I knew I had to be blushing because my face was very warm as he looked down into my eyes.

I let my head fall against his chest when the music became a little bit softer, and felt him start swaying us in perfect rhythm to the music. I could smell him, which was strange because I had trained my nose to shy away from Jacob's overbearing cologne, but Edward was different. I could tell he was wearing some kind of cologne, or maybe it was just the way his skin smelled, but I liked it. I couldn't get enough of his green eyes looking down into mine, sparking feelings that I'd never experienced. I felt him press his head into mine, in which the visual spell was broken, his hands held mine firmly, and he moved me into the right positions of the dance. Even when the music stopped and another faster song had begun, we stood in our position in the middle of the dance floor, swaying to a beat we didn't hear outside of ourselves. I could feel his heartbeat, calming and soothing all of the nerves in my body, and when we started to part I felt sadness.

"Thank you for the dance, Bella. Uh," he frowned and started walking away without another word. He left me standing there; still too astounded by the way my heart beat erratically. Alice was grinning and Rose actually wiped away a few tears. She was such a sap, but even some of the girls had a look of longing and love on their expressions.

I found my feet again when a man coughed and took me out of my trance so him and his partner could continue in the upbeat music. "Sorry," I apologized as I watched Edward talking to his mother inside of the house. I couldn't hear what they were saying but she was smiling, and he was pulling on his bronze hair like he was frustrated with something.

I felt the former happiness inside of me disappear when he walked away, obviously confused and frustrated. He came outside, on his way toward me, when a girl came over to him. It was Lauren, the rotten girl from before, and I watched him nod and take her hand for a dance as well. He pulled her close just as he had done to me, but this time he wasn't looking into her eyes. He was smiling and laughing as he caught my expression of pure fury. My lip was just about to curl over my lips and let out an angry growl, but I stopped the animal inside of me. Girls were laughing at me as I walked over to Alice because they saw I had just been played. Maybe they didn't call it that, but I had been. Again.

"Stupid, fucking son of a bitch." I growled and threw my stupid hat at Alice. I let my bangs fall over my face again when she took hers off as well and huffed in Edward's direction.

"Is it six yet?"

She nodded, also glaring at her stupid, cute brother. "Close enough."

She was breathing fire as well as I was, and tugged me away from the party when we were sure Rose and Mrs. Hale had left, and Elizabeth was busy. We were meddling through Alice's closet until she found some, much shorter, and inappropriate as far as I was concerned, dresses. There was a dark blue one and a black one for her.

"What's this for?" I asked as she pulled the blue one over my head and started zipping it up.

"The woods," she answered simply, letting the dark blue fabric fall over my body and stop just below my knees. I felt so naughty, after a week of wearing bed sheets.

I didn't know what the woods meant, but when we passed the various people at the party in secret, I knew it wasn't what I thought it was. We wandered down a trail for about five minutes before we saw Emmett, in a nice suit waiting for us. Rose was beside him and she winked at me, showing off her legs in her tight red dress.

"Okay, come on ya floozies, we better get going now so we won't miss the show," He clapped his hands and handed Alice some clear liquid in what looked like a jam jar. She took a gulp of it and coughed before she passed it to me. It looked unpleasant, but as we continued I had to ask.

"What is it?"

"Think of it as Vodka, but not really. You wanted a party Bells," she pointed to a shack looking thing with a bunch of people holding the same glasses and dancing to what sounded like jazz music; "well here it is." It was beautiful as the sun began to come down across the trees, but I recognized this from many books and movies. It was a Juke joint.

"Seriously? These actually existed?" I laughed as we were welcoming inside of the place by a man who shook Emmett's hand and they started talking loudly. I was glad Emmett didn't hear me and ask what I meant by that.

"Yeah, well Emmett has been working here for some extra money so he and Rose can elope and move to Rochester!" she shouted over the loud piano music and the drunken singing woman at the front of the place. There was no stage, but men were around her shouting and whooping when she'd sway her hips and belt out a note.

"Cool, so what do we do?" I asked as I took in a swig of the burning liquid that tasted more like rubbing alcohol than anything I'd ever drank. It worked though, and after a few drinks I was loosening up. It felt good to feel like I was finally back into a rhythm of being me instead of falling for some guy who was just going to break my heart anyway.

"We sing baby!" she shouted and pushed me up to the spot where the other woman clapped for us and everyone cheered for me and Alice. She whispered something to the guitar player and just as the music started playing, I knew what song it was.

"How did you get them to play this?" I laughed.

She wrapped an arm around my shoulder, humming along with the tune, "You just have to tell them the key and they friggen know. It's fantastic."

She backed away from me as I started swaying my hips and letting the music go through me. It was a jazz number, one of my favorites that didn't have any lyrics, but it got people hollering and having a good time. Alice wrapped her arms around me again when it ended and the both of us were giggling too loudly to notice there was a very tall brooding gentleman standing before us. He looked pissed off.

"Alice, Bella what the hell are you doing? You're acting like two Juke joint Jezebels!" Edward scolded angrily, but I just laughed at how enraged he was. The nerve he had to show his face to me and try to tell me what to do was just humorous.

"You know, Edward. You need to loosen up," I gasped, "OH WAIT, you already did!" I laughed, getting Alice to join in with me. We were remembering the look of pure elation on Lauren's face when he accepted her offer, and we were cackling loudly to the music.

"You're drunk," he excused my behavior, "come on I'll see you two home."

He tried to pull me away from the staring crowds, but I yanked me arm away. "No, I want to sing. Come on band people," I told them the notes and showed them the certain beat to go to because the song was rather easy to understand, "hit it!" I shouted, taking another swig of my stuff as the familiar song came to my ears, just like it sounded on my iPod.

"This one is for you sister – the only person I will ever love." I pointed to Alice and Emmett nudged Edward's shoulder as he blushed. I hoped he was as humiliated by my words, just as humiliated as I felt at that party after he opened my heart and broke it within five minutes.

"_Sister, you've been on my mind. Sister, we're two of a kind, so, sister, I'm keepin' my eyes on you_." she was grinning at me as I walked over to where she sat at a table.

"_I betcha think I don't know nothing, but singing the blues, oh, sister. Have I got news for you, I'm something. I hope you think that you're something too_." I swayed my hips as I came the rest of the distance toward her, imitating the "Shug" as well as I could. She giggled loudly and took my hands.

"_Scuffin', I been up that lonesome road and I seen a lot of suns goin' down. Oh, but trust me, No low life's gonna run me around_." I stood again and looked down at her, love and affection in my eyes for the woman I did consider as my sister. Edward was fuming when I glared over my shoulder at him.

"_So let me tell you something, sister. Remember your name, no twister gonna steal your stuff away. My, sister. We sho ain't got a whole lotta time. So shake your shimmy sister,_" I shimmied as best as I could, getting hollers and whops from many of the men and women, "_Cause honey the Shug is feelin' fine_." I held the last note and grinned at her

I hiccuped loudly as people clapped and cheered for us, but eventually other music started and Edward took me by my waist again. "Now that you're done making a fool of yourself, I am taking you home Isabella," he growled at me, and I looked back to see Alice slung over Emmett's shoulders, giggling and waving goodbye to many people.

"Bella you just totally stole something from the best movie ever and I love you for it!" She shouted from behind me and I laughed when Edward swung me up into his arms because when I tried to walk I stumbled.

"Alice, what has gotten into you? You talk just like she does now and you're acting like a child!" Edward silenced her, only for a few seconds though. We both burst out into laughter at how serious his face looked. He was scowling and grumbling something about "winos" when I rested my head on his shoulder. He still smelled good and the cool night air made my warm body huddle closer to him.

"Fucking Lauren can kiss my ass, huh Edward? I can," I burped, "sing." I finished, looking into his amused eyes.

"Yes, she'd be giving the entire town and earful by now, but Bella Juke joints are dangerous. You're lucky you didn't start a bar fight." He rolled his eyes when I shrugged.

"You just don't get it. I've been hurt and tossed around like I'm nothing, so, after all that I know I ain't anything. I don't mean anything to anyone so I get drunk and sing. I just want to be loved, too." I sighed, feeling sadness as I took another drink from the jar I hid from his sight. He took it from me and threw it into the woods passing by us.

He took my face in his hands and stopped moving. Emmett passed us with Alice, who was singing loudly into the night. He made me look into his eyes and I could tell he meant every word he spoke next. Not even the alcohol in my system could deny his sincerity. "You do matter Bella. People care about you, people do stupid things like dancing with other girls at parties because they can't say no, but that doesn't mean they don't care about you," I snorted at his explanation, "you matter to me."

"You don't care about me."

He laughed this time. "You couldn't be further from the truth. I care about you. And you mean something to me. You aren't exactly a lady, and I don't even care about your singing in a Juke Joint. Those are the things I really like about you; you aren't just some girl who has to do everything a certain way. You're too drunk to remember this, but someone already does like you, very much." He kissed my forehead, stunning me, but continued walking on down the road. His lips were as soft as I could have imagined, but I wanted them on another place, not my forehead.

I wrapped my arms around him, smirking as we started leaving the safety of the pine trees. The thing Edward wouldn't ever be able to count on was my memory. Because I would remember every word he spoke when I woke up tomorrow.

**A/N:**

**Thank you all for telling me this chapter was missing! Sorry haha I just got done editing and revising this and when I was uploading all the new chapters I must've spaced it. **

**Review **

**-Panda**


	6. The Meadow

**Chapter Six**

**The Meadow**

**(EPOV)**

"Mother, I am so confused." I confessed as I barged my way back into the house, away from those beautiful brown eyes.

I had just danced with Bella, assuming it would be entirely casual, but when my heart started beating quicker and quicker, I knew there was something more going on inside of me. She was so perfect in my arms, so right, but I didn't know that meant.

"Why is that? You looked very aware just seconds ago, dancing with that sweet girl out there," she sighed, looking in Bella's direction as another couple bumped her and she moved away from the dancing space.

I nodded, pulling my hair; an act I did when I was frustrated or thinking about anything. "I was so calm with her in my arms. I felt like the world had stopped and nothing else would ever matter again." I confessed in a hushed voice. Her eyes sparkled and she wrapped an arm around my shoulders as if she understood completely.

"It's finally happened. Look, go out and dance with another girl, see if you feel the same, and if you don't I'll tell you what it is, okay?" she pushed me out the back door and I nodded, determined to see what she was getting on about.

Lauren, a girl I really didn't care for at all, was the first to accept, and when I got out with her I saw a look of pure rage in Bella's brown eyes. Her face was twisted in pain and remorse, but I had a feel I should watch where I walked for the next few days, and that made me smile. She threw her hat at Alice, and they both glared at me again before going upstairs. I paid close attention to the girl in my arms, immediately repulsed by her perfume smell, and closed to eyes. If anything my heart had stopped beating and my movements were cold and thought out. Not smooth and warm like they had been when Bella's little feet rested on mine. That and she kept kicking my toes with her flashy heels. I let her go, mid song, and apologized.

Those feelings were really only reserved for my Bella. I froze when I caught my thoughts calling her mine, but felt my heart swell as it usually did when she was around. Her beautifully sad smile, her bright eyes that saw past all of the crap inside of people, and the way it was like she was from another time entirely was what I loved about her. Staggered by my thoughts, I knew they were true. I loved her. So very much and after just a short time of knowing her - I guess what they said was true: love had no limits and didn't understand time.

"I am sorry; my toes are beginning to hurt. It was a pleasure dancing with you." I lied, and walked back over to my mother, but not before looking for Bella again. She was out of sight and something clicked inside of me: something that made me worry.

"Where did Bella go?" I asked my mother and when she shrugged, and I didn't see Alice, I knew exactly where they had gone. And with who.

I stormed off, away from the party, and went deep into the woods where I knew I would find Emmett, Alice, and Bella. There was a joint, not a few miles from my house, and Emmett decided to work there for some extra cash when he could hear the women singing at night. I could hear an intricate jazz number, and when I pushed past all of the people, my mouth fell open. She was dancing with Alice, drinking the juice, and shaking her gorgeous hips to the music. The dress was much like all the women here wore, but on her it was edible. She giggled loudly, wrapped her arms around Alice, and took another drink.

"Damn she could catch a fish without a hook," a man gasped, looking at _my _Bella in such a way that made my fists ball up and anger boil in my gut. I shoved past him and when they saw me, I was enraged.

"Alice, Bella what the hell are you doing? You're acting like two Juke joint Jezebels!" I tried to sound serious, but my insides were awake with arousal at her state and I felt like dancing with her. I mentally beat myself up for that. Her drunken eyes were amused by my words.

"You know, Edward. You need to loosen up," she hiccupped and gasped with wide eyes, "OH WAIT, you already did!" She and Alice then burst into loud cackling, holding onto each other for support. So she had seen the whole ordeal with Lauren and it provoked this behavior.

"You're drunk," I grabbed hers and Alice's arms gently, "come on I'll see you two home."

They both broke free of my grasp, Alice a bit weaker than Bella. I was surprised at how she could hold her liquor: most women didn't down an entire jar of the stuff and ask for another. "No, I want to sing. Come on band people," she went over and showed them the keys and notes she wanted, and said what I assumed was more theater talk.

"Hit it!" she was swaying her hips and laughing when Alice seemed to recognize the tune.

"This is for my sister – the only person I will ever love." that was low and she knew it. I felt my heart sink, but when Emmett shouted in my ear that she was just drunk and didn't know what she was saying, it lifted.

Bella singing was probably the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. Even though she was drunk, she was sincere and honest toward Alice. Her voice really did belong on Broadway, and that was why I assumed she stayed there. She was fantastic. When the song was coming to a close, I frowned, not understanding what she meant by the lyrics.

"_Cause honey the Shug is feeling fine_," she smiled as she finished, getting a squeal from my hyperactive sister before I finally came over to her and took her in my arms.

"Now that you're done making a fool of yourself, I am taking you home Isabella." I warned, taking her up in my arms as she started humming again. Emmett followed me with Alice in his arms and she waved, singing "goodbye" in a high key. Bella laughed at her friend, but came closer to my arms. She was cold, and I assumed that was because it was nearly ten at night and she was wearing nothing more than a thin cloth across her pale skin.

They spoke of movies, but Alice sounded more like Bella now than ever. "Alice, what has gotten into you? You talk just like she does now and you're acting like a child!" I frowned over at her and she shrugged before putting her fingers to her lips and "shushed" me loudly. Emmett and I both shrugged it off as drunk behavior, and continued down the road before Bella spoke to me.

"Fucking Lauren can kiss my ass huh, Edward? I can," she hiccupped, surprising and making me smile with her very derogatory words, "sing."

I rolled my eyes at her, but it was true. If there was any ass kissing to be done, Lauren would be in for it. Bella's voice was beautiful, strong and full of emotion. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before, that's for sure. "Yes, she'd be giving the entire town and earful by now I'm sure, but Bella Juke joints are dangerous. You're lucky you didn't start a bar fight." Very lucky. Even luckier that one of those men didn't take her away and hurt her in ways she didn't imagine.

She shrugged beneath me like I didn't understand. "You just don't get it. I've been hurt and tossed around like I'm nothing, so, after all that I know I ain't anything. I don't mean anything to anyone so I get drunk and sing. I just want to be loved, too." I felt my insides harden. She thought so little of herself, but she was everything to me. She was the sun and I was the night, waiting to be taken over by the day. I loved her, very much. I threw away the bottle she tried to hide from me before I responded to her sad frown.

I took her face in my hands so she would pay attention and hear me very clearly. I ignored Alice's high voice singing some incoherent melody in front of us. "You do matter Bella. People care about you, people do stupid things like dancing with other girls at parties because they can't say no, but that doesn't mean they don't care about you," I paused when she snorted in derision, "you matter to me." I confessed, hoping she didn't shove me away now and try and make her way home, no matter how close it was now.

"You don't care about me," she defied my words stubbornly. I could see the surrender in her eyes, but that didn't mean her words didn't make me feel like I needed to show her my feelings better. I would start showing her just how I felt, right this moment, even if she was drunk and wouldn't remember it.

"You couldn't be further from the truth. I care about you. And you mean something to me. You aren't exactly a lady, and I don't even care about your singing in a Juke Joint. Those are the things I really like about you; you aren't just some girl who has to do everything a certain way. You're too drunk to remember this, but someone already does like you, very much." I let my lips fall to her cool forehead, and take in her beautiful scent mixed with her taste that I never had before now. She sighed and looked up at me like she wanted something more, but I would never take advantage of a woman when she was drunk. That was wrong.

She grumbled and curled further into me. "Sad panda," she sang loudly when we caught up to Alice and Emmett at the porch. It was lucky that everyone had gone home and didn't see them shaming themselves. Those women already thought lowly of Bella because she was different, but that's just how people were. They didn't like women being too free or independent.

"What the hell have you girls been doing?" My father shouted, seeing them in their inebriated states.

"Being sad pandas at the Juke Joint! Sistaaa," Alice drawled, grabbing Bella as she planted herself on her feet; they kissed each other's cheeks and held hands before Alice finally grumbled and sighed, "come on let's go to bed." She tried to walk, but they both stumbled and fell in fits of giggles.

"Elizabeth that girl has been nothing but a bad influence on this family! I want her gone tomorrow!" my father raged and my mother's eyes rose in surprise.

She stood in front of him and he immediately lowered his head as he always did when he knew he was in trouble. "You will not speak to me that way ever again, Edward. This girl has been nothing but kind and helpful toward me, Alice is the one to blame for the Juke Joint. How was Bella to know where it was if she doesn't even know how she got to Chicago in the first place? Let them be, they're seventeen and they just want to have some fun," her tone had gone from angry to reminiscent, "girls, go up to bed now." she rushed them up and Emmett helped them walk up the stairs.

"Hold on a second," she grabbed my shoulder when my father went back upstairs after his own punishment, "how was the dance with Lauren? The same as with Bella?" She seemed to already know the answer, but I shook my head no quickly.

"Son," she walked half way up the stairs and turned back to face me, "you are falling for her like a ton of bricks. And I couldn't be happier with your choice." I nodded, looking down as she went up and turned out the hall light. I already knew that. Who couldn't love my Bella? She was sweet, innocent enough, and incredibly gorgeous, but her personality was what did it for me. I didn't care if she had webbed toes and a third eye, I'd still love her.

After locking the front door, making sure Rufus was in the yard, and taking off my shoes, I headed up to my room, but not without one small detour. For the past week I'd been watching her sleep, holding her hands when she needed me, when she called me. She thought I was avoiding her in the day, which was true, but I only did it because I was so afraid of the feelings beginning inside of me at night. I still was afraid of said feelings, but I was a man now and I accepted them.

I saw Alice lying in the bed beside her, so I decided tonight would not be the night for me to sneak in and kiss her hands while she dreamed. Tomorrow though, I would be beside her all day. We had a date that I didn't forget about and I was anxious for the sun to rise and bring my Bella back to me.

I didn't have to wait long. The sun came up at six, but I was up at eleven because last night's festivities had exhausted me. I'd certainly have to pick of drinking and partying if I were to keep up with my Bella. When I came down stairs after getting dressed, I saw Alice sitting on the couch. The blinds were closed and she had a pillow over her face – she looked positively miserable.

"That's what you get for going out drinking sad panda," I scolded jokingly, making her jump because the volume of my words were more than her ears wanted to hear, "where is Bella?"

She shook her head and looked at me with bloodshot eyes and I chuckled at how vicious she looked. "Still sleeping. Lucky for her, mom made me get up at four because I got Bella into trouble." She rolled her eyes and lied down, not facing me as I walked past her and into the kitchen. Served her right, taking Bella into the woods and making her act like some floozy.

"I'm taking Bella on a walk through the park today, is that alright?" I asked mother as I made myself some joe and sat down at the breakfast table. I had no plans of going to the park: I was taking Bella to a place closer to my heart than out in the public eye.

She pretended to think about it, but then shrugged. "It's fine with me, being as you care for her. Just be home before dark." I fully intended to. Bella at night was a bit too wild for me, and with my luck, we'd both end up drunk in the Juke Joint doing things we wouldn't be proud of at sunrise.

Bella came down stairs when I was finished reading the paper, looking much better than Alice did. She blushed when she saw me and immediately started to say she was sorry, but I stopped her. It was rather adorable to watch her blush and feel guilty for saying such things to me. "It's fine, really. We all have gotten drunk and said things we don't mean," I assured her and she grinned a little. I did exactly what she had done last night, without the dress, on my last birthday and fell asleep on the roof.

"Good, because I was really hoping we could still go on that date I promised to give you," She laughed. Today was just about us, and I wanted to make sure of that; I held out my arm and she took it happily.

"Is now alright with you, Miss Swan?" When she nodded, we said goodbye to Alice and my mother, then went out into the soft summer afternoon. Seeing Alice point out the window toward the bag I almost forgot, I grabbed it and slung it over my shoulder. She gave me a thumbs up and winked, but I rolled my eyes at her before going back to where Bella stood waiting for me.

It was a typical June day: sunny and warm, but when she headed for the park I steered her in the opposite direction. There were too many people there for that place to be intimate at all. "Where are we going? I heard you say we were going for a walk in the-"

"There's another place, a few blocks from here that I want to show you. If you're up for a bit of a walk," I amended and she nodded, holding me closer to her. It was quite a walk through the old abandoned city park on the outside of our neighborhood, but worth it when we got to the place I was thinking of in my mind.

We continued on through the park that she seemed to love because the nature was so beautiful and unlike the city. It was wild and she said it reminded her a lot of the woods where she came from. I traced invisible patterns on her skin as we walked, for I didn't need to see the way to know how to get there. "Edward," she asked, stirring me from my thoughtless pace.

"Yes?"

"I am sorry about saying Alice was the only person I could ever love last night. I hope you know I didn't mean that, it's just..." she trailed off when I looked over at her and went to twiddling her fingers, "I've been hurt by a guy before."

So she did have a past love, perhaps someone more fit to be with her than I. I really was a fool to think a woman, such a woman, could love a boy like me. My ideas of romance were sitting alone somewhere in the forest, holding hands and looking into each other's eyes as if we were the only other people alive. I felt that way with Bella, no matter where we were, but I wanted to see if I brought her here it would be the same. Maybe she wanted someone who could drink with her and sing. Well I didn't sing, but I played several instruments: would that be enough? She stopped me when I didn't respond to her comment, seeing the conflict in my eyes.

"He wasn't good for me. He...messed with my heart and made me think he was in love with me. I thought, up until recently, that I loved him back. But I didn't," she frowned as we continued walking and I began contemplating again.

"So, you didn't love him?" I wondered, trying not to seem too suspicious. Inside I was begging her to say no, please just say no, even if it isn't true.

She smiled and shook her head as I helped her over a fallen log. Her skin met my hands again and I was in a state of pure bliss as she took my hand instead of my arm. Our hands dangled between us as we found the right trail and were on the way to my spot. "No, I never loved Jacob," she spoke that name the day we brought her home, and it made her cry; I saw why now and I swore if I ever met the heel I'd kill him. "But all of that doesn't matter now. It happened...a long time...ago." she frowned, as if she were trying to make sense of that in her mind somehow.

I pulled back a few branches so she could step into the meadow, and I followed close behind her. Her mouth was hanging open as she took in the abandoned space in the middle of this city. The grass was as tall as our knees, the colorful wild flowers were in full bloom, and the sun was covered by the tree tops: creating shade where I lied down a blanket from the bag. She sat down and felt the grass between her fingers before she looked at me. "It's beautiful here! How did you find this place?" she was still drinking in the settings of the place I came whenever I needed to be alone.

"I come here when I need to be alone. It helps tremendously with my composing." I lied back and watched the birds fly above us. I wished I could be that free, that able to do anything I ever wanted. In a way, animals were the lucky ones.

Bella lied beside me and saw the distance in my eyes. "What's troubling you?" she ran a finger down my face, making my eyes close in pleasure.

"Nothing at all," l smiled up at her. Today was about us, about our first time alone since we met, and I had a request for her, "just thinking about the next few weeks."

"What happens in a few weeks?" she asked, putting her arms across my chest and resting her head where they met. She was smiling at me in a way that made me want to sing. I had never been this close to a girl; much less one I was having feelings of adoration and affection for. She seemed so natural, like lying across me was something she did every day. I loved that she was so carefree with me: so much more herself than I'd ever seen.

"I turn eighteen on the twentieth, and my mom always has this ridiculously large party. There will be a lot of people and drinks that I'm sure I'll have to keep you away from," she smacked my forehead playfully and instead of looking at me again, she rested her head over my heart. " But I-I was wondering, if you'd go with me to it?" I bit my lip, finding myself mirroring her nervous actions.

She looked up at me with narrowed eyes. "This party will involve dancing, yes?"

I nodded.

"Okay, then I will agree to go if I am the only one that gets to dance with you. If you turn the other way and let me have a few drinks," she laughed, making me sigh in relief. That was a very acceptable compromise for having the keenest woman in the world beside me during the festivities.

I held out my hand, but she shook her head and pulled me into a sitting position. She was so close to me, so warm in my grasp that all I wanted to do was kiss those silky pink lips and taste her. She was blushing when my hands went to the sides of her face, but her fingers traced around my chest at the same time.

Then, she did something I should have expected more than I did.

She grinned, leaned over, and took my lips in hers without another word. I felt myself sigh into it before I ran my hands through her hair and pull her close. I didn't know what had come over me, but I had to be closer, impossibly closer and I pulled her to my body recklessly. She moaned when she felt my chest pressing against her, and I had to stop myself when her cool tongue ran across my lips, begging for entrance into my mouth. If we didn't stop, I would find it nearly impossible to stop myself from taking her in the woods, and I didn't want to do that. Gently, but with irresistible force, I pushed her away and when her eyes opened she gasped.

"I am so sorry, I don't know-" I pressed my lips to hers again, silencing the self-conscious words with a quick chaste peck.

She smirked when I pulled away, my hand still on the back of her head, twisted in her brown locks. I decided to use the words Alice did when she needed Bella to just be quiet, even if I didn't really understand them. But in this case, I wanted her to stop talking and kiss me some more.

"Shut up, Bella." She giggled loudly before our lips met again, and we fell against the blanket, happy to spend the rest of the afternoon in each other's arms.


	7. Thunder

**Chapter Seven**

**Thunder**

**(Bpov)**

_June 20th, 1918_

_This is a bit late, but that's just because I've been busy. I've spent my entire week with Edward in his meadow, nearly every day, or at the house, hidden from people. We started bringing his guitar everywhere so I didn't have to go to the bar and sing anymore. He thought my music was strange, but I spent some of my nights ripping pages from you – sorry – to write down music. He loves it now. I've stuck to mostly acoustic songs, because I think anything harder would freak him out, but it's nice. Maybe I do belong on Broadway._

_AND he kissed me! Well, I kissed him after he asked me to go to his birthday party as his date. We spent the entire day in that beautiful meadow, holding each other and stealing soft kisses. There have been many more since that day, but I still can't get over how they make me go crazy – even with the simple touches. If it were up to me, I'd spend the rest of my life making out with Edward. Admitting to a few kisses and a few touches doesn't seem like much on paper, but I am fairly certain I am falling for him. __Hard__. It's not bad though, and I feel like my heart his safe with him because he certainly has it. I don't like to use the L word very much or lightly, but I believe I do L...him very much. So much that it hurts to be away from him for the few hours we have to sleep. I'm going crazy not having more though...grr...It does suck that people have such high moral standards in this time._

_It's been 16 days that I've been here now and I am still messing up too often. Just yesterday I was caught singing a rap song as I did my laundry and Edward had to ask me what a "P-Diddy" was. I doubt I will ever get this right, acting like someone I'm not, but I have to try. I miss my home less now. I feel like I am home, when I'm with Edward. Something in those green eyes always makes things better – no matter how bleak they seem to be. Alice told me she knew it was coming, and I can't help but wonder if her purpose in 2005 was to bring me here so I could be with him. I should thank her because I've never been so happy in my entire life. Even if I feel like I'm living in Anne of Green Gables._

_Something more troubling is happening though. The hair on my body isn't growing – anywhere. I shaved the day I left 2005, and my legs are still just as smooth, my other parts as well. I don't understand it, but nothing is changing. I haven't even had my period, which I should have had long before now. I've never had sex with anyone, so it must be a product of time travel. I've asked Alice and she said it wasn't like that for her, but maybe it meant that time sort of stopped moving when I left. Meaning, maybe it was still the same night I crashed. I didn't know, it was all too confusing to follow correctly. Very worrisome._

_But today is Edward's birthday, and I've got something for him from my own time. I hope he likes it and doesn't ask too many questions. Alice and Elizabeth insist that we do some sort of show for all of the guests so Alice and I will be performing something – I don't know what it is yet, but something inspirational. I hope it makes Lauren eat her fucking heart out. But I'm really singing because I see a terrible sadness in Edward's eyes. His father was forcing him into a certain life he doesn't want – and he always says hearing me sing makes him feel better, so I thought, why not? I hope he takes it personally. If I am stuck in this time forever, maybe we will just head to New York and say fuck them all._

_I've been concerned about leaving. I mean, my travel here was so easy and abrupt, who's to say it won't be like when I go back? I truly hope I never have to leave him. I need him too much now and going back without him would be unbearable...I really do think I am in...you know...with him._

_Gods of time travel please don't take my Edward away._

I set the black book under my pillow again and started to get ready for the day. I dressed in a shorter blue dress that went to mid-calf, something Alice said I could do today, and went over to his room to set it on his night stand as he slept. I hoped Edward didn't mind that I was giving him a little piece of me – a black and white photograph on the top of the condo building in New York.

He had been begging for one, and this one I was actually wearing a white dress and sitting on the ledge as Alice snapped it. I was looking down and smiling because she purposely made a joke so I would. It was probably the only photo I liked of myself, and the only black and white one I knew of. I didn't know if they even had colored pictures in this time, but seeing Edward made me forget about the entire jumble in my head. He was as peaceful as his bare arms curled around a pillow and he breathed in deeply. I ran my fingers through his thick hair, kissed his forehead and went to go help Elizabeth with some of the things downstairs.

"Anything I can do?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips as she started baking a cake.

"Yes, could you please help me set this table while Alice wakes the boys up? I can't believe they slept clean through breakfast." She handed me a few plates, and I nodded obediently. I learned over the past two weeks to just listen to Mrs. Masen and do as she asked.

Edward was the first one downstairs, and he pulled me into the kitchen right away. His lips were heated on mine, and I gasped when they moved down to my neck. I wrapped my arms around him and fought back a moan when he bit the delicate skin above my collar bone and pushed me against the wall. "Where did you get that photo?" he asked, looking into my eyes curiously.

"I took it a while back," I still didn't understand how to explain my past because it certainly wasn't before now, "and you've been asking for one of me. Now you have one," we pulled away from each other quickly when his mother came in. She gave us a sly look and walked out with the bread and mustard for the sandwiches.

He kissed me again, a bit more lovingly this time, and hugged me. "Thank you, I love it." My heart fluttered at the word and I was sure I was blushing.

"Anytime, now I think we should get out of the kitchen before someone else comes in and sees us snogging." He grinned at our own personal word; a word I cleverly stole from a book I read that was narrated by a teenage British girl, and nodded. I was just glad he believed me when I said it was actually a word from now.

His dad had already left this morning, which I thought of as a weird thing, but he just shrugged and said his dad was always working: even on his birthday. I could always remember my parents taking the day off and going somewhere with me. Was that weird? No, I was sure his dad was just an asshole that didn't have time for anyone but himself. He didn't like me either because he thought I was too different. That was just fine by me, I liked his son and he was just going to have to accept that Edward liked me back.

"Happy Birthday," Elizabeth kissed his cheek when we came out to have lunch, "are you ready for tonight? Alice and Bella say it's going to be great." She smiled over at us, her love of the stage getting the best of her. I only hoped Alice picked a song I actually knew.

"Well I am sure if Bella is in it at all, it will be amazing," I rolled my eyes at Edward's corniness, but let it slide: it was his birthday after all. "But I guess I have a silly request. Please don't make me wear that fucking suit." I coughed on my coffee and laughed out loud when she heard his language. He was blushing and apologizing already, but she was glaring at me as I chuckled.

"Isabella you are going to make my boy a swearer before he even turns eighteen," she sighed in exasperation at me, "but I suppose it's alright. Alice can help you get gussied up without the tie. Now, excuse me I have to head out to the market for a few things," she patted my shoulder as she left and we shared a smile. I had come to see Elizabeth as my own mother these past few weeks, which might have been weird, but she acted like more of one that my own mother ever did.

"Edward," I slapped his chest when she left, "you're going to get me into more trouble. I'm already doing laundry because I fell down the stairs and spewed a very strong line of profanities the other day." He rolled his eyes at me, but Alice distracted both of us.

"She doesn't mind, she used to be quite the littler swearing machine before she met my father. But anyway," she waved her hands, "Edward I got you this for your birthday!" she squeaked and handed him a package. Wrapped in newspaper.

"Couldn't wait until five?" Emmett whispered to the little pixie and she shook her head no quickly. Of course she couldn't, she was Alice.

He ripped away the packaging and took out several blank books of sheet music. She went on to explain when he started going through them. "Because you're always saying you don't have any. Now, you have three blank books worth! I saw them the other day at the store and knew you'd have to have them!" she hugged him as his mouth dropped open. I think Alice had to be the best sister in the world right now.

"Shucks Alice," he hugged her bouncing form again, "even though you're insanely annoying sometimes, I love you." he kissed her cheek and she swatted him away, playfully rubbing it.

Alice tugged me upstairs to "fix my hair", but really she just wanted to talk. The boys were outside setting things up while she looked through an issue of Vogue she managed to snag before coming back. I watched Edward, the buttons undone on the front of his shirt, exposing his chest to my sight as he carried a table outside. I saw his arms were strong when he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and wiped the sweat off his brow. I realized I was practically drooling when he waved up at me with his silly smirk, and I turned away because I was blushing.

"Alice I think I'm-"

"In love with my brother, I know." she smirked and threw the magazine back into a dresser in her bedroom, "that's the point dummy. Remember what I told you about making someone happy? Well friggen Edward is just as miserable as you are. He needs you." She smiled when my face became soft and I felt warmth spread through me.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "When are we going to find you some John to love?" For the first time ever I saw Alice's pale cheeks coat with a cute pinkness that could rival mine.

"Ohhh Alice Masen is in love! Who is he? Is he gonna be at the party?" I asked, pushing her down on the bed as she played with her dress.

"Yeah, he'll be at the party. But he doesn't even know who I am." She sighed, looking self-conscious. This was an entirely different side of Alice, a side I'd never seen before and a side I didn't like.

I tickled her ribs until she was laughing with me. "Then I guess you should properly introduce yourself, hmm?" I chuckled when she nodded and her eyes were bright again.

"His name is Jasper Whitlock, and he's from Texas. He's amazing, cute, and such a gentleman Bella." She sighed, leaning on me as she thought of this mysterious man.

Alice was in love, and it was adorable to see her so vulnerable for once. I hoped this man liked her back, but Alice was oblivious to any sort of man affection. He probably already loved her to death and she was too hyper to notice. But if he hurt her, I'd kill him myself. Alice was my sister, and no one messed with my sister. We parted when people finally started arriving and I went back to my room to make myself look a bit flashier tonight. Alice gave me some red lipstick, eyeliner that I didn't think existed yet, and she silenced me when she handed me a bottle of mascara. At least I could look a bit more like myself now and less plain compared to all of the other girls that would be here tonight.

With Alice's thumbs up, we both headed down the steps and saw the party was already in full swing. There were at least forty people inside, and more outside. Most of them were older, but a lot of them were young kids from his school. Alice realized I was looking around for him, so she tugged me outside and he was welcoming people, looking rather dashing in black trousers and a rolled up blue button up shirt. He could almost pass for someone from 2005. She pushed me forward and his smile was dazzling as he accepted me by his side.

"Bella, this is my father's partner at the office, Mr. Mallory. Mr. Mallory, this is Miss Isabella Swan." I shook hands with the older gentleman and saw Lauren beside him. Well that explained why she always seemed to be around. Her eyes darted from me to Edward mischievously and I rolled my eyes at her subtle attempt to frighten me. If only this girl knew I'd seen way worse than a simple glare.

"And I'm James. Edward and I are to be business partners when our fathers retire. It's a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman," a blonde boy stepped forward when his father went to greet Mr. Masen, and kissed my hand.

I pulled it back, disgusted by his obvious attempt to woo me. "Thank you, Edward would you care for a dance?" I asked, taking his hand and totally ignoring the boy. His eyes were murderous as he glared at James, but when my nose nudged his cheek, he calmed down considerably.

"I'd love to, Bella." He smiled at me and we walked away from the siblings. Their mouths were hanging open and they still looked really angry that I had just taken Edward away from them. He didn't need to be throwing punches. Tonight was my night to clamp my hand down on his mouth and pull him away from ripping someone's head off.

"Be nice," I whispered when he pulled me on the tops of his feet because he was still glaring. I kissed his cheek and he sighed before kissing mine back and holding me close again. There was a live band playing tonight, and it was nice to have some music other than records and pianos. They played jazz that almost sounded like poppy music, but the people just loved it. That could have been because of the liquor though, which I wanted before Alice and I went on stage – very badly.

I was distracted from my almost slumber against Edward's chest when Alice came to me. She was standing beside a man, who looked very nervous to meet us. He was honey blonde, had tan skin, and a white smile. I almost made an awe noise when I saw them together, but I held composed myself.

"This is Jasper. Jasper this is my brother Edward and his girl Bella." Our eyes flashed around to see if anyone had heard her words, but everyone seemed to be too drunk and happy to care about what we were doing.

"Pleasure to meet y'all. Alice here never stops talking about Miss Bella, I swear she's your sister," I loved his southern accent and found myself smiling at my Alice; I was happy for her. "Great party, you got here, I can't wait to see you two singing." He held Alice and she flushed red as he dragged her away to dance. They looked happy; I couldn't even see why Alice doubted that this man liked her. He was infatuated with her every move.

"Hello everyone," Elizabeth spoke up when the band died down, so I took a big gulp of my glass of champagne, "we have something very special for you all tonight. My daughter Alice and her friend Bella from New York are going to give us a show!" Everyone applauded and Alice pulled me up to where her mother stood in front of everyone.

"After we've put on our stage clothes, of course." Alice called and we were shooting up the stairs. Why did we need stage clothes? Weren't we just doing an acoustic song that required no extra attention?

"Why are we-"

"The song requires it! Shut up and put your jeans on." I grinned impossibly wide as I saw her pulling on her impossibly tight skinny jeans and she threw mine at me. No. More. Dress. I quickly accepted the clothes, pulling on the black pants and my favorite Blondie tank top. We both looked like we were ready to go bar hopping in 2005, but I was seriously curious as to why. She was always on about us looking normal and blending in.

"Well, what song-"

"You'll know when we get down there. Come on." she tugged me away before I could ask more questions and people gasped as the saw us. But instead of being disgusted they applauded when we got on stage. It was very reassuring to see them so accepting of a "Broadway" show. Alice already had the music drawn out, because she told me that we'd have to deal with drums and guitars instead of a mad beat from her iPod.

"Okay, this one me and Bella are gonna sing is from a show," I rolled my eyes because I already knew it wasn't, "and she's dedicating it to the birthday boy, my brother, Edward." Everyone cheered as his face went pink and he stood close to where we were. His eyes were lit up as they took in my thin body wrapped in tight fabric instead of a restricting dress. He liked me in this; I could only imaging what he'd think if he saw me in my favorite pair of Daisy Duke's.

"There is no dance to this; mostly people just...look happy, okay?" Everyone nodded and laughed. They were drunk, but at least they wouldn't think this was too weird now. When the song started, I swear all of the blood rushed from my face because it was a rather vulnerable song choice. But if Alice thought it was appropriate, I had to choice in the matter.

Alice started up on the acoustic guitar, sat on the stool beside me while I took on the more rhythmic guitar part, and began the song I'd sung a hundred times over, and loved. "_Today is a winding road that's taking me to places that I didn't want to go, Whoa. Today in the blink of an eye I'm holding on to something and I do not know why I tried_..."

Alice took on every other line, and our voices harmonized perfectly while Edward's eyes took on a softer note. The crowd seemed surprised at the sweet music coming from two girls, because it sounded good and even Edward senior was smiling. "_I tried to read between the lines. _I tried to look in your eyes_. I want a simple explanation. _For what I'm feeling inside_. Gotta find a way out, maybe there's a way out..._"

"_Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer. Do you know you're unlike any other? You'll always be my thunder and I said your eyes are the brightest of all the colors. I don't wanna ever love another. You'll always be my thunder, so bring, on the rain_," Alice took the last line in the chorus, so I could take on the next verse, "_and bring on the thunder_."

Edward had come to stand right in front of where I was sitting and his smile was wide as I stared right into his green eyes, blushing as I sang to him. "_Today is a winding road, tell me where to start and tell me something I don't know. Whoa. Today I'm on my own, I can't move a muscle and I can't pick up the phone. I don't know_."

Alice and I shared a soft smile. She did the same thing as she had before, taking on every other line. "_And now I'm itching for the tall grass. _And longing for the breeze. _I need to step outside. _Just to see if I can breathe. _I gotta find a way out, maybe there's a way out_." Edward's smile fell, but when I winked in his direction it returned, and he took a drink of his beer again. I hadn't noticed that Jasper was starting at Alice with his mouth hanging open, but seeing her blush made my day. I'd never seen _that_ happen before.

I turned my attention back to the birthday boy, smiling as we went through another chorus. His eyes were saying everything his mouth couldn't, and that only made me all the more confident in my own feelings toward him. It might have just been a random song but telling him I loved him, even in music, had a deeper meaning than that. It was like nothing else existed in the world; like Edward and I were the only people on the planet, and I was pouring my heart out to him. "_Yeah I'm walking on a tightrope; I'm wrapped up in vines. I think we'll make it out, but you just gotta give me time. Strike me down with lightning; let me feel you in my veins. I wanna let you know how much I feel your pain." _And the music stopped then, going quiet as my soft voice, a few octaves higher than the original I could remember, broke through the silence.

"_Today was a winding road, that's taken me to places that I didn't want to go. Oh_," Alice's fingers strummed the guitar as people clapped oddly, but I continued with the chorus again. He seemed to like it, and I was nervous about that, because Alice told me all would go well.

What if I got off stage and he said "Yeah I just wanna be friends?" I don't think my heart could bear that.

I fought the urge to run when he smiled at me, and I finished it. "_And I said, your voice was the soundtrack of my summer. Do you know you're unlike any other? You'll always be my thunder, so bring on the rain. Oh baby bring_," he blushed at my words and I could see scowls on people's faces at my term for him; obviously it wasn't very common to call a man 'baby' in this time, but I didn't care, "_on the pain_."

I strummed the last note, "_and listen to the thunder._"

People were silent for a moment, and I thought the only thing in the world that was happening was Edward reaching for my hand, but when people applauded and cheered for Alice and I, I was back in my life. It was surreal to have him pull me into his arms, kiss my cheek, and whisper in my ear. "Bella, I've never been so honored in my life. Thank you, that was wonderful." My cheeks were flushed as he let me go, and his parents broke up our happy little moment alone.

Elizabeth came over to us and thanked me for singing in front of her, but she whispered words that made me impossibly happy. "That horrible Lauren girl has been glaring and scoffing at your display for the entire song. I am so proud to have you as a member of my family Bella." She rubbed across my back as the shock from her words sunk in, and Alice and I left the stage so they band could come on again. I really felt like I belonged here, as people started whispering and talking animatedly about how much emotion I could put into a performance. If only they knew it wasn't a performance at all.

Edward caught me in his arms, and I kissed all over his face when we were out of the crowd, not really caring if people saw right now. His words were more excited now that we were alone and people weren't paying attention. "You are amazing, my Bella!" He gasped over the sound of people laughing and talking about the act.

I stopped because he had called me his, and that made my heart want to explode. He was drunk though, I could smell it on him and the way he held me suggested he didn't really care what people thought – so what could make his words true? No one in particular was looking at us though. He was cute as he gave me sloppy kisses on my neck and looked at me with devotion in his green eyes.

"Thank you," I whispered, kissing his cheek as he sat me down again, "it was fun to just let go for a little while. I love that song," I tried to step away from him, but he didn't let me go.

He took my hands and looked into my eyes again, this time more sweet and gentlemanly than before. "This has been the best birthday I've ever had." He confessed, making me frown. That seemed kind of sad to me because this was a really large party with more adults than teenagers. Maybe next year we could go to New York and really party our asses off. If I was still here then. I had to be here then, I wanted to be here with him. Always.

"There's something I want to tell you-" I was cut off by his father clearing his throat into the microphone. He looked over at us, and Edward let me stand beside him instead of in his arms.

"I have some news that Edward told me to hold back but since it is a party, and you're all dressed," everyone looked at the man in front, "I think it's a good time now. We are all here to celebrate my son's eighteenth birthday, and it's been brought to my attention that he is old enough to marry. My son has been dating a woman for a few months now, and they are so happy when they are together." I blushed, but that couldn't have been me. We hadn't even been on a public date yet, and that's how people in this time did that.

"Mr. Mallory and I have given you our blessings to be engaged to Lauren," my eyes widened and my mouth popped open hugely, "so to Edward and Lauren." Everyone raised their glasses and I looked up at Edward's stunned face, drained of all color. He started shaking his head when I walked away, unable to believe that I'd just poured my heart out for this boy, and he had been dating someone else. Could my life have more coincidences in it? I had been here, loving someone and almost told him I loved him, and he already had someone else. Such a Jacob move.

But Edward wouldn't do that to me, would he? He was different, I knew he was. He hated that girl, that vile girl who just wanted him for his money. I knew that, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Badly.

"Bella, stop," Edward called as I made my way out to the front porch. He grabbed my hand and was shaking his head as I looked up into his eyes. I had realized I was crying, but when he wiped tears from my face I pulled away from him, "I'm not with her. We had a few dates because my father made me, but I never wanted her. I'd rather die." He grabbed my hands when I tried to leave. I needed to be anywhere but here right now. I needed to be beating that bitch into the ground and taking my man back, that's what. Anger filled me.

"This can't fucking happen this way," I chuckled, pulling at my hair and shaking my head no several times, "not now." Especially not now.

He seemed confused, but I didn't expect him to understand. He didn't know how I felt. "What can't happen? Bella I swear I am not going to do what my father wants I lo-"

I stood in front of him, stopping the words coming from his mouth. I took his face in my hands and looked at him very seriously. "This can't happen because I am so very much in love with you Edward and I refuse to give you up to that fucking bitch. I'm giving you two options. Take me away to New York, or have Lauren and be your dad's bitch for the rest of your life. What'll it be?"


	8. Secret

**Chapter Eight**

**Secret**

**(Epov)**

I was going to kill him.

I may have thought it so many times before, but this time I really wanted to strangle the life out of him. He made my Bella's heart break with a decision that had been made for me. I wasn't even aware than he and Mr. Mallory had been talking about me and his daughter marrying. I hated Lauren, and all of the uncomfortable outings in which she tried to force herself on me. I never spoke of them because I really didn't want to remember they had happened. Now, my Bella's eyes were full of tears and I could see the heartbreak on her face.

"Wait," I pleaded as I reached out for her hand again, but she slipped from my fingers. My father looked confused and it was then that I realized he had no idea what he had just done. My mother smacked the back of his head and pointed to me, talking in a hushed voice so the animated crowds wouldn't see the drama.

He came over, rubbing his head and frowning. "What's the problem? I thought you liked the Lauren girl, she has feelings for you too and she's expressed interest. You won't do better than a Lawyer's daughter in this city!" he reasoned with me and I didn't know if it was a good ten years of pent up frustration, or my new found confidence, but I exploded.

"Father," his face hardened when he heard the anger in my voice, "I can't stand Lauren...did you see Bella's face? Didn't you see how fucking broken she looked?" His face became guarded.

"What does Bella have to do with you and Lauren? That girl is a freak show who needs to be led back to the circus," he laughed, getting nods from Lauren and her father who were only a few paces away from us.

A few other people laughed and nodded because they all thought it was true. They found her amusing, nothing more than a spectacle and I really hated that. She was a person with feelings, but they would never understand that. My father thought of the woman I had given my heart to was that she was nothing more than a circus freak who lost her way.

I shoved past him, grumbling. "Forget it, I have to find her." I panicked because I could no longer see her in the backyard. I ran through the house and Alice just pointed to the front door, her face forlorn and sad. I saw Bella sitting beside Rufus in the front garden. Her brown eyes were drowning in tears and her face lost all the joyous emotion I felt as she sang to me. It was now lost and blank.

She stood when our eyes met, looking more frightened that I had ever seen her. "Bella, stop." I tried to sound firm, but it sounded more like choking.

I took her hand, pulled her away from the gate, and hoped she would look into my eyes. She sniffed when I wiped the tears off her face and held her close to me. "I'm not with her. We had a few dates because my father made me, but I never want her. I'd rather die." I promised, hoping the simplest explanation would be enough to make her stay.

Abruptly, she was suddenly furious. Her tear eyes held fire inside of them and she looked away from me. "This can't fucking happen this way," she seemed to be laughing to herself, "not now." The only problems I faced being in love with this woman was understanding what she was talking about most of the time. Especially right now, because I hadn't a clue.

"What can't happen?" Did she really believe I was going to marry that wretched girl? "I swear to you Bella I am not going to do what my father wants, I love-" she stopped me just before I spilled my heart out for her.

She took my hands in hers and looked at me very seriously. "This can't happen because I am so very much in love with you Edward and I refuse to give you up to that fucking bitch," my eyes got impossibly large with her confession and my heart started beating faster in my chest; my Bella loved me back and she didn't even know I reciprocated those feelings. "I'm giving you two options. Take me away to New York, or have Lauren and be your dad's bitch for the rest of your life. What'll it be?"

I didn't even need to think. How could she expect me to even choose the latter? I kissed her fingers and took her cheek in one of my hands before I spoke. "You. It will always be you, Bella." I assured her and she sighed happily, letting a few more tears fall from her sad eyes. Our foreheads rested together and her fingers played with the hair on the back of my neck.

"Come on," she held out her hand and pulled me out of the yard. "Take a walk with me."

She let her head fall on my shoulder as we both walked across the street into the darkening abandoned park. The trees were singing as we finally walked into our meadow and she smiled when she saw the trees in bloom and petals falling in the wind.

The simple things that made her happy seemed so insignificant to me before, but now I could see the beauty the world offered for both of us. We stood underneath the ancient trees and I held her back close to my chest. I was still a little bit drunk and tried my best not to stumble with her, but eventually we were both laughing and tripping over our feet as we tried to dance to the soft music heard from the party in the distance. She let me go and looked up at the clear night sky in wonder. I always wanted to know what she was thinking in that peculiar little head of hers. Her mouth was open slightly and the light from the stars and the moon shone down on her face, but she looked kind of confused.

"Why do you want to stay with me, Edward? Lauren has to be the most proper young lady in town and her dad is rich. I'm just a drunk, cussing side-show from New York. I heard what they said at the party about me," she let her back fall against one of the cherry trees around us. "And I don't want you to have to be ashamed of being with me. I want to run with you, I want to be yours, hell I'd settle for being your damn roommate, but I don't want you to regret your decision to be with me." I hated seeing her so insecure, so sad because she thought I didn't care about her more than some absurd reputation.

"I don't care what people think Bella. If I did I wouldn't have spent time with you, stealing kisses from your lips and desiring you more than anything. I am in love with you, not anyone else and I will go away with you so we can get away from all of this madness. I will not marry that horrible girl because I couldn't stand being away from you – even for a minute." I kissed her cheek and she let her arms slide around my middle as we held each other close. I loved her desire for close affection more than anything because I had never even seen my mother and father hug in such a way. It seemed more intimate than even kissing was and I was glad she wanted to share that with me.

"No regrets?" she asked in a small voice as our eyes met.

"No regrets."

Her lips met mine and once again I was thrown into that small world of just wanting Bella all the time and nothing else. She tasted so good, even though she smelled of champagne and strawberries, and I couldn't have enough. "We should," she gasped as my lips moved to her neck and my body pushed against hers, "stop."

"No we shouldn't." I laughed back and she chuckled, but pulled me away with no resistance on my part. When I finally lost all sense of responsibility, she gained some and I hated that. She had been driving me crazy over the last week with her soft touches to my chest, but I knew we couldn't do anything without being married first.

"We have to go back to the party," she whispered to the darkness. She didn't look like she wanted to leave the safety of the cherry blossoms beside me. I pulled her down into the grass and she sat on my lap with her head resting against my chest.

"No we don't," I sighed rubbing circles on her soft skin, "we could leave right now. We can get on a bus and never come back. I don't want to pretend anymore, Bella. I love you," I tried to convince her but she shook her head.

"You're too drunk to walk to the bus station and I will not be responsible for worrying your mother to death. I have a plan." she turned around and wrapped her legs around me, pulling me closer than we had ever been before thanks to the tight trousers she had on. My hands fell to her hips in amazement, but I tried to keep my cool as she looked at me with that knowing smirk. I'd been caught staring, but I didn't regret it. Who wouldn't stare at her?

"What is the big plan then?" I asked when she fell against my chest again and I held her tight. She was cold, which was understandable being as she was in these thing clothes and it was windy outside, so I pulled my jacket over her shoulders.

"Thanks. My plan is we do nothing. We go back to that party and you thank your dad for setting up such a fitting match with Lauren and we remain a secret. I don't want to leave you and if your dad knows you love me, he will throw me out – no matter what your mom says. You tell your mom you want to finish school early so you can start your life with Lauren, and get a tutor to come to the house. When you finish we take all of my extra money and get the fuck out of here." she smirked, giving me feel a warm kiss on the neck.

I didn't like that. Even if it was a good plan that would mean if I started studying tomorrow I would finish by the end of September. That was three and a half months of lying to everyone and being away from my Bella. I wouldn't stand for it. Not in this lifetime. "No, I will not say I love _her_ for the entire summer-"

"For me you will. This is the only way we can be together, love. Do you want me or not?" she asked again, putting her hands on the side of my face.

"I do, more than anything." I assured her.

She kissed me again, slowly, tantalizingly. It was a kiss that made me uncomfortable once again, but in all the right ways. "Good. Then when we go back I will congratulate you and your new fiancée, and you will dance with her until she has to go home." my eyes widened.

"But she dances horribly, she kicks my toes." I complained, letting my head fall to her chest unthinkingly. Instead of the harsh sting of a slap, I felt her pull me close and kiss the top of my head.

"I know, but it's just for a few hours. I'm sure Alice can find something to get you out of it." she stood, holding out a hand to me. I was still surprised she didn't push me away, but I shouldn't have been.

"Okay," I sighed, grabbed her into my arms as we made our way out of the woods with the help of the light from twilight sky. I loved this time of day: it made me feel like it was safe to be with her because people wouldn't see us in the shimmering darkness. I really wanted to announce that I would be marrying my Bella, but that wasn't going to happen tonight. I wondered if the independent woman beside me would ever even consider marriage. If she would, I would take her as mine a thousand times over. Anything to make her smile.

"I love you," she promised when we got to the sidewalk. We could see the party still in full swing, but they wouldn't see us from here.

I took her face in my hands and kissed her hard, not in goodbye, but in a promise that I would be hers tomorrow when she woke and then forever. "I love you too, my Bella. Don't listen to anything else I say tonight, okay?" I asked seriously when we parted and she looked completely dazed. She nodded up at me and our hands fell to our sides, not touching at all. Dread filled me when she walked up to Alice, away from me, and my body chilled as Lauren smiled over at me.

"Hello, I am sorry. I was concerned for Miss Swan because she doesn't quite know her way around the city yet. I would be _delighted_ to take your hand." I was lying through my teeth and Emmett laughed loudly from across the yard when he heard my words. Rosalie, his girlfriend, chuckled along with him and shook her head in understanding. I hoped my father didn't see past the lies as well.

"Good! Then it is settled." Father and Mister Mallory went off to talk about business and Lauren smirked up at me, making my stomach turn in displeasure. I was really going to have to survive this, wasn't I? If I wanted my Bella, I would do this but that didn't mean I had to like it.

When Bella and Alice came downstairs again, she was in a dress looking entirely proper again. Somehow, I missed seeing her in those black pants and tight shirt but I had to look away when our eyes met. She winked once and I felt myself smile, until James went over to her.

"Would you dance with me, Miss Swan?" he asked, holding out his hand to _my_ Bella. I glared because she could not say no, but I desperately hoped she would.

Lauren didn't notice my eyes always on Bella as she plastered on a fake smile and took his hands. I found myself growling when his hands went to her hips, but she pushed them back up to her waist with a stern look he didn't question.

"That's my girl," I whispered, holding Lauren close so she wouldn't catch the way Bella and I stared at each other. Unfortunately, the song ended and I was torn away from her beautiful brown eyes to greet Lauren's mother and her friends.

It was sure to be the longest night of my life. I took silent advice from Bella and downed an entire glass of champagne before meeting with the strange red-headed woman that believed I would call her my mother in-law in a short time. I sighed deeply, downing another glass to feel numbness. Only four more months and I would be with my Bella forever – hopefully I could wait.

**A/N. Horny bastard. **

**Review n_n**

**-Panda**


	9. Firework

**Chapter Nine**

**Firework**

**(Bpov)**

_July 4th, 1918_

_His birthday could have been the most horrifying night I could imagine, but it wasn't. He said he loved me too, even though things got fucked up a bit on the way to it. My brilliant plan wasn't so easy to follow, but he had to finish his studies or he'd get nowhere in his life. Not even in the theater, where Alice had friends waiting to receive us. I couldn't take his education, along with his family, away from him. But it wasn't all bad; the tutor comes here every day now, and says Edward's studies will be done by the beginning of September. Maybe we'll spend my birthday in NY._

_It's surprising to me how little time people who are engaged actually spend together. Maybe it was because Edward couldn't stand being around her, or maybe it was that I occupied all of his time, but he had only been on one outing with Lauren since his dreadful birthday. It was so humorous to watch him in such misery even if it was just going out to dinner with her and her parents. He glared at me and I waved, blowing him a kiss through the window as they drove off. It didn't hurt me as much as I thought it would because I knew he was just pretending._

_He came into my room that night, breaking all social protocol, and asked me if I could just hug him. The date had gone completely awry, for she had tried to kiss him and he refused, saying it was unladylike to demand such things from a man even if he was your fiancé. Now, there isn't a night that goes by now that he doesn't stay by my side. We look at each other, smile until one of us falls asleep first, and this morning I woke in his arms. He was holding me tight to his chest, giving me a feeling I never had before: love._

_Today we're going to the meadow before watching the fireworks. He says he has a surprise for me but I couldn't even begin to guess what. Maybe he'll actually play the song he's been writing for me. He thinks I don't know, but Alice can't keep her mouth shut for a second when I'm around. I think it's sweet that he wants to write something, but I don't know what to expect. I had overheard him playing his piano a few days ago, and when I came in he stopped abruptly. Until I sat beside him and demanded he played, of course. I'd never heard Claire de Lune sound so marvelous. It was so much like love, but so sad at the same time that it made my heart ache._

_That was when I knew he'd do just fine on the piano in New York._

_We still don't know why I've been here for a month now, and nothing about me has changed. It's even more troubling knowing my body isn't aging. How long will I be here before people start to notice? I hope I stay forever, and that I go back to aging again soon, because I refuse to leave him. I finally found a place where I belong. I'm not going to fight it anymore. I absolutely love it here – and I'm never going back._

"Bella," Edward popped his head in my room, showing me his excited smile as he straightened out his half opened shirt and brushed some flour off his brown trousers, "come on. We have to hurry before the floozy arrives. My mom has given me a break from _baking _because she's told me that Lauren will be calling soon. She knows I don't have to study today because of the party-" he needn't say more. We had to sneak around the house stealthily because his mother already suspected we were lying when she caught us holding hands and watching the clouds in the garden again. From that moment on we were super careful on when to show our affection and when not to.

I grabbed his hand and we were shooting off through the neighborhood and into the park. We had carved out a small trail since our last time here and it was much easier to find if you knew what to look for. I tied a ribbon on the branches of my favorite tree where we needed to enter the meadow at. When he pulled the vines and branches away, I and found myself looking at a flattened out area of grass with a small picnic basket and a bottle of sparkling cider.

"How in the world did you get all of this out here before noon?" I wondered as he led me to the blanket and we sat beside each other. I had stopped swearing so frequently now and was working on being a real lady instead of some two dollar whore on the side of the road as they called it. Edward didn't mind when I was around him, but I tried my best to hold in the natural words I would say if I were back home. It worked to my advantage though because I learned to bite my tongue when Mr. Masen would speak of women and marriage. He didn't suspect a thing going on between Edward and I, even though everyone else already knew.

I should have expected Edward's answer, but it still made me smile. "Well I did have the help of one annoying pixie on packing the basket. I brought all the rest this morning after my father went to work and mom was busy sewing one of Alice's dresses."

He had packed a few sandwiches, a strand of grapes beside some strawberries, and two glasses. I felt the hushed romance of being out in the woods alone on a sunny summer day, I saw the love in his eyes as he handed me a glass of the apple tasting drink and kissed my lips, and I couldn't have been happier than I was right in that moment. "I must say this is quite the surprise, my love." I grabbed a grape and popped it in my mouth as he moved closer to me and let me rest my head on his shoulder. This was natural to us now, more comfortable than sitting up formally and acting like we had someone to impress when we didn't care what they thought.

"Well, I'm glad you like the food, but this is not the surprise." He admitted with a grin. I looked up at him with a frown, but didn't need to ask what was because he rummaged around in the box and found just what he was looking for. I felt my heart racing as he showed me a train ticket to New York City, and felt my cheeks drain all their color. He wanted me to go away without him.

"I found your grandmother. Marie Swan. We talked on the phone and she's expecting you there next weekend. My mother and father have already given me permission to escort you there." he smiled, but I couldn't bring it in me to give him a fake one.

"You want me to live with her?" I felt like I was choking. Hadn't we already agreed to run away together? Why did he want me to stay there while he suffered here with that infernal girl?

"No, I want you to go tell your grandmother that you are alright. She has been worried," I frowned because that couldn't possibly be true: she didn't know me, "and well, since you don't really have a father around I don't know who else I can ask..." he trailed off, blushing deeply as I looked over at him curiously. My heart had been released from the tension, but now suspicion was leaking in.

"Ask what, Edward?" I waited and he began to look a bit nervous. His mouth opened and closed a few times before I started getting impatient.

"What is it?" I tried again, and this time he looked at me with his cute pink cheeks and shy eyes.

"Well...I assumed, probably stupidly, that maybe - since we're going away and all, you'd like to, I don't know, maybe, want to marry me?" he stammered, fidgeting with his clothes as my mouth dropped open.

He wanted to marry me? Where the fuck had this come from? We'd known each other for a month – not years, but...why did I want to say yes? Could I say yes? Was it against the laws of time travel to alter things so drastically by loving someone so unconditionally and irrevocably? "You're killing me here, Bella." He laughed when I continued to gape at him in shock. I hadn't realized my brain froze a little while he was waiting for me to end his anxious waiting.

"What? I mean yes. I," I sighed and got control of my mind, "I'll marry you, Edward." I laughed, tackling him into the grass around us and letting my lips linger on his as he held my waist to his body. I felt him smiling against my neck when I stopped attacking his lips and just held him to my body recklessly.

"Is this really happening or are you screwing with me?" I asked as we both sat up, but I didn't leave his lap. He chuckled and shook his head.

"I was planning on asking your grandparents if it would be alright for me to ask, but I don't want to diminish your decision in the matter now. Will you really be me wife, Bella," he moved my hair away from my face and kissed my heated cheek, "you, the woman I know to be the most independent of them all. You'll be mine forever?" he asked again to make sure I wasn't lying.

I kissed his lips, pushing myself into him as we both smirked. "Only if _you _will be mine forever." I whispered when we parted.

He ran his hands through my hair, nodding seriously. "I'll always be yours. I don't need some piece of paper to prove that." Tears of joy pooled in my eyes as I hugged him and we fell over on the ground, but this time I didn't roll away from his chest as we watched the clouds flow by us form under the cherry trees.

This was my favorite spot in Chicago, my favorite spot in the world, because it was ours. It was where I could be myself with my Edward no matter what and he didn't have to hide behind the mask his father wanted him to wear.

I was settled in the crook of his arm, my head lying on his chest as I listened to his beating heart. "Where is your ticket then?" I asked in wonder, but he smiled.

"I seem to have forgotten it in the basket. I'm sorry for frightening you," he apologized. I shook my head.

"It's fine, as long as you promise we will never be apart."

His eyes met mine and he smirked his sexy crooked grin at me. "Never. You're stuck with me now, Miss Swan." He kissed my nose, but gasped and sat up abruptly.

"Damn, no wonder you took so long to answer," he rummaged through the basket again, showing me the ticket with a smile, before handing me a black velvet box, "I bought it with my own savings...Alice helped me pick it out though because I really do have a problem knowing what looks good and what doesn't," he laughed to himself as I popped the lid and stared in shock at the oval ring in my hands.

It was beautiful. An oval ring covered in what I hoped wasn't diamonds, with a small inscription on the inside of the band. It said one simple word in elegant script that summed up my feelings for him in a nutshell: forever. Time really didn't know the limits of love because our lives had taken place in such different times, but I never knew such a love. I was meant to be with him. I was meant to wear the delicate white gold band as he slid it on my finger for the rest of my life.

"I love it," I whispered more to myself as he kissed all of my fingers and finally rested his lips on my left hand ring finger.

"It's just a piece of me that will always be with you...forever even after we die." he smiled and let me run my fingers through his messy locks of hair happily.

"Not even death will keep me from you, my Edward-" I was cut short by a voice calling out to us in the daytime.

"Edward, Bella! It's time to go now! Come on back to the house!" Elizabeth called, obviously knowing where we were even though we were hidden from view. And just like that, our time was up. I gave him one last deep, loving kiss that had everything I felt for him in it and we parted, both looking dazzled and sad.

"I am afraid we must go back to the real world, my love. Will you wear it?" he asked, motioning to the ring on my hand. I put it on the right side, glad that it fit there because I really didn't want to take it off at all. He grabbed my hand after we placed all of the things back in the basket, and we left our little piece of heaven for the proper world around us.

Before we left, I wanted some honey for tomorrow's breakfast. "Just wait a minute; I want some honey for your mother. We can have some excuse as to why we were out in the middle of an abandoned wooded park." I winked when his eyes widened and I walked up to a fallen free, dead except for the buzz of all the honey bees inside. My dad taught me how to stay very still and move very slowly so they wouldn't sting, and I'd seen it in Edward's eyes the first time I showed him that he was scared for me. But, like the last time, I took the small honeycombs and stuck them in the jar, licking my fingers on the way back to his side.

"I will never get used to that," he shivered as I handed him the jar and rolled my eyes. Such a chicken my love was, but I felt no less attracted to him for it.

Elizabeth, standing right beside Lauren, looked at me curiously when Edward and I smirked at each other. "Were you having a picnic in the woods?" Lauren looked absolutely mortified by the idea.

"We were catching snakes and charming bees, actually," I rolled my eyes at her stupidity, "here Elizabeth, for breakfast tomorrow." I handed her the jar on top of the basket and she smiled wistfully at me.

She was a woman of many talents, and from what Alice told me, she was much like me in her youth. She worked for her money, lived by herself in a small apartment in Chicago after her parents passed away, and drank like a fish. It was Edward Masen senior that calmed her and brought an end to her wild days when she found out she was pregnant with Emmett. She never looked back on her life, but I could see it in her withered eyes – she missed it.

Edward walked ahead, Lauren right on his heels as Elizabeth and I stayed behind at a slower pace. "I like your ring," she smirked down at me, "and I want to know that wherever you take my son away to, I expect you to take care of him."

"It's not like-"

"I'm not stupid, Bella. Anyone with half a brain could see you two love each other. I've known it for some time and I really detest that Lauren girl as well. I understand you want him to finish his education and then you two are going away. I only want two things from you, Miss Swan." she stopped my rambling and I looked at her guiltily.

"Yes?"

She smiled then, making my insides melt with relief. "I want a post card on Christmas, maybe even a phone call, and when you have children-" my eyes widened in shock "-I would very much like to visit. I won't tell my husband because I am sure after this he will disown my son, but I don't care about money or status. I just want my little Edward to happy, and he is with you." Those were very reasonable demands. Demands that I could meet more than comfortably.

"We're going to New York, Elizabeth. I won't ever keep him from those few people who don't hate us after we do run. I love him and I don't want to see him miserable. He loves his family and I love you all too so don't think we won't be around," I laughed, feeling happiness when she took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

We were back at the house now, standing just outside of the fenced yard when she turned and hugged me. "Thank you, Bella," she sighed and we parted, both a bit teary eyed, "now come on. Go upstairs, Alice has a change of clothes for you." She rushed me up the staircase and went back to finishing her baking for this evening's celebration. It was held in the county fairgrounds by the water and Alice told me to wear a thin dress because it was going to be warm. There would be food, festivities, games where you could win prizes, rides, and even a firework show to celebrate Independence Day.

"Here, wear the dark blue one. Hats and pins aren't necessary tonight." she handed me the clothes, but not before getting a good look at my ring and winking silently to me. I was now the expert of getting dressed alone, so I pulled the white tie around my waist securely and smirked at my reflection. I was getting used to seeing myself in dresses with my hair curled slightly because straighteners didn't exist yet.

When I came downstairs I saw Edward standing beside Lauren and holding her hat as she talked to his mother animatedly about wedding plans. Elizabeth ignored her, nodded when appropriate, and continued packing the pies she made today. It was nearly five in the afternoon now, and when Alice skipped past me, I knew I looked strange watching the scene from the staircase. Rose was here, along with Emmett, because they had made their relationship public a few weeks ago. Needless to say, it was because she was pregnant and they couldn't hide it any longer. But unlike they suspected, the families were thrilled and they were to be married very soon. I was happy for them.

Jasper was here as well, picking up Alice for their first date ever. They would be going to the fair together because Mr. Masen already agreed to let Jasper start courting her. She was more than jazzed, to say the least because she was so much in love with him.

"Everyone ready?" Elizabeth asked, looking at me and when I nodded we all go into separate cars. I sat between Edward and Lauren on purpose, but she didn't seem to mind and continued leafing through her bridal magazines and books.

"Get ready to ditch her the first chance we get?" Edward whispered in my ear, and I nodded as to not give away that we had plans to do so. She was too preoccupied looking at other boys as we drove down the road and flashing the cheap ring on her finger – given to her by Edward's father as her father's request I might add.

The fair was packed with everyone from the city, even the mayor. There were booths with trick games that never let you win, small rides, horses, and a place where no one was lying to watch the coming fireworks. As soon as Elizabeth got a table, Edward and I were off in the opposite direction, weaving through the crowds and forgetting Lauren's voice behind us. She'd never be able to track us down in this mob of people, so we knew she wouldn't try.

It was an hour later, after we'd gotten scared out of our minds on an old roller coaster that shook and trembled, we traveled through the carnival games. "What's this one?" I asked, stealing Edward's beer from him and taking a swig before looking at the cheap carney game.

"Oh, well you take this baseball," he showed me the ball, "and throw it at the stack of pins. If you knock them down you get a prize." He took the drink back when my attention was focused on the games.

"Okay, let me try. Sir," I got the man's attention, "how much is it for one game?" I asked, smiling at him when his eyebrows rose.

"Five cents," Edward handed them over before I could grab my own money and the man handed me three baseballs, "knock down the pins in one try and you get the big stuffed animal, knock them down in two you get a medium sized one, and in three you get a small one." he showed me the various sizes and varieties.

But it was no use. If I was uncoordinated on my feet, that was nothing compared to what I was like throwing. I only hit them once, and it was rather poorly and only on the edge of one pin. They didn't fall down. "Damn," I sighed, turning back to Edward but he handed me his beer, stepped forward, and paid another five cents.

He looked back at me. "You want the bear?" He pointed toward the huge one and I laughed. It had to be at least three feet tall and everyone was eying it as they passed us.

"You won't get it, but yeah. I do." I rolled my eyes, and crossed my arms, thinking if he was drinking he would be as bad as I was, but I was wrong.

He knocked them down the first try, surprising both the man and I with how well he seemed to throw. "I played a lot of baseball when I was in high school," he shrugged when my expression showed confusion. Well that explained it, then.

"You're sorta perfect, you know?" I laughed as the man handed him the giant stuffed animal and he thanked him.

He kissed my cheek sweetly, making me blush. "Only for you, my love." He handed over the giant bear with a pink tie around its neck and took my arm in his as we continued on down the line of games. I couldn't believe I was carrying a huge bear in my arms, or that Edward was walking beside me looking so joyous and carefree, but life was funny that way. Only a month ago I was wallowing in self-pity and hatred, and now I was in love and nothing could make me sad anymore.

"Come on," he grabbed my hand as people started flooding onto the field, "we need a good seat to see the show!" he yelled over the crowd when I laughed, asking where we were going.

He sat down his jacket for me and we both lied in the grass as people sat all around us. He handed me a drink that I took willingly, and lied beside me. "It's the best show in all of Chicago." He whispered as the sky darkened just enough for them to start.

The crowd had died down in excitement and when the first boom sounded, I grabbed his hand instinctively but beamed up at the sky when the purple and blue burst of color exploded. It was so beautiful to watch this without a bunch of drunken bikers on First Beach with Frankie, but it did make me miss my goofy carefree brother. We always spend the Fourth together because it was the day when our dad didn't have to work – no matter where he was. It only made me hold Edward tighter to me when the emotions started flooding through me. I was happy, as I always was on this day, and when I whispered Frankie's name into the night, no one heard me. But I felt myself letting go of that life and always keeping my brother in my memory.

"I love you," he kissed the side of my face as I laid my head on his shoulder and I nodded.

The sound of fireworks and people cheering didn't take away from the moment, if anything they enhanced it, and our lips met sweetly. "And I'll always love you," I swore. I hadn't noticed it but Alice, Emmett, Jasper, and Rose were all lying beside us now. Alice and I shared a knowing glance before turning back to the men we loved, smiling up at the colorful sky.

**A/N: I loved writing this chapter. :)**

**Review **

**-Panda**


	10. Visiting

**Chapter Ten**

**Visiting**

**(Epov)**

I watched her watching the exploding fireballs in the air, and couldn't believe I had gotten so lucky. Today, only a few hours ago, she agreed to marry me, even though I should have asked her grandmother first. I couldn't help myself; I wanted her as my own already, though it was a month to this day that she had been here. I felt like I knew those beautiful brown eyes my entire life. I never saw them sad anymore. Whenever she was with me, I saw happiness in her eyes on her lips. She had changed so much, like life hadn't meant anything before she got here and now it did.

"Excuse me, Bella. You're sitting beside my fiancé, and I'd really like to watch the fireworks with him," a nasally voice came from behind us, making Bella cringe slightly at the malice heard it in.

My Bella sat up, looked at Lauren, smiled, and took her bear. "Of course, I am going to get something to eat anyway. Anyone want some pie?" Bella asked our friends who had all sat up and looked at Lauren hatefully.

"I could eat." Alice patted her flat stomach and kissed Jasper before standing beside Bella in front of us. Then, Bella kissed my cheek, getting a loud scoff from Lauren that no one paid attention to, before smiling at me.

She ran her hands through my hair when she passed. "Thanks for the bear, Edward. It's awesome." Lauren glared, standing to face Bella with a vicious look on her puckered face.

"Stay away from him. Don't you understand he's mine now? Come on Edward," she pulled me up against my will and I looked at her suspiciously. "Show her you're mine. Kiss me." She demanded and that was when I saw Bella's fists tighten and her jaw clench. Alice touched her hand and whispered something in her ear that made her rigged posture relax and a smile melt across her pink lips.

She nodded and I grimaced, narrowing my eyes in revulsion when Lauren's closed and she leaned in toward me. This was about to happen: I was about to kiss my mortal enemy and Bella was giggling in the distance when the girl got impatient and pulled me in hurriedly. Our lips met, my stomach lurched, and I felt my gentleman parts retreat into my body when she let out a soft whimper of pleasure. I pushed her away gently, careful not to show her how green my face was as I turned and saw Bella holding back her giggles so hard her face was pink.

"See?" Lauren smirked expectantly and Bella could no longer hold back.

Her beautiful laughter reached near hysteria with Alice, and she nodded, wiping away moisture around her eyes. The others walked away before Bella could speak again, promising to bring back hot dogs and pie when they came.

Bella snorted, looking at me before turning her attention to the snide looking girl. "Oh yes, he is definitely yours. I will try my best to stay away, but I can't help it. He's just so damn sexy I can't take my eyes off him. Seriously, look at this jawline. I'm surprised more women aren't biting all over his neck," Lauren's eyes bugged out of her head and her mouth fell open at Bella's confession when she ran her hand across my jawline.

"Maybe you should dig your claws in him deeper because I do sleep in the same house. You never know what might go bump in the night when I'm around." Bella had wandered over and stood directly in front of Lauren, smirking. I couldn't believe how much her words were exciting me; just the thought of her sneaking in my room and getting on top of me was too much to bear – for me and for Lauren.

"You better stay away from him! We are getting married – he's taken you, you whore!" She screeched, sounding more like glass being polished than a human being speaking. I cringed and rubbed my ears, but Bella just smiled at her accusations.

"Not as much of a whore as you are. In fact, I heard the other day at Elizabeth's garden party, from Angela Webber, that you and her older brother were caught having, you know," she leaned in and whispered the word to the girl, "_sex _in the park. Now, we wouldn't want Mr. Masen finding out about that would we? A deflowered girl marrying his son? I don't think that would do at all," she sighed, batting her pretty eyelashes at the stunned girl who was seeing red through her envious eyes.

She turned to me quickly when I raised my eyebrows in mock shock. "Edward, it's not true. Would you really believe what this harlot has to say? I am yours and only yours," she promised, putting her hand on my shoulder and running it down to my elbow. I regretted not wearing a jacket and having my sleeves rolled up: her skin felt like nails against mine, not soft like Bella's was.

"I do believe what Bella," I pronounced her name slowly, "has to say, and I must agree. My father would certainly call of the engagement if he were to know about you not being a virgin. You lied, Lauren," I warned, making her eyes go wide as I stood beside Bella again.

Lauren's eyes narrowed and she huffed loudly. "What can we do to make sure that doesn't happen?"

This time Bella raised a finger and set her beer down in the grass. "I have a proposition for you. We all know Edward hates you," she rolled her eyes but didn't disagree, "so why don't you just call of the engagement and no one has to know that you aren't exactly pure?" My breathing caught, hope swelled in my chest, and I looked at the paling girl anxiously.

Lauren shook her head, mortified by the very idea. "No! My father will kill me if I don't marry Edward! If you didn't realize, our dads are business partners and this is just another stupid deal to them. No offense Edward, but I'm in love with Mike – Angela's older brother. That's why I don't care that you're with Bella all the time because I'm with him all the time!" she explained, showing her true colors and actually seeming human for the first time. I felt bad for her because she had the same thing I had with Bella and it was being taken away from her by our selfish fathers. The only difference was I loved Bella enough to leave it all behind us and run away, never to look back.

"Lauren," I started and she looked at me with teary eyes, "how about we both tell them? The facts of life are, I am in love with Bella and I wish to make her my wife. No offense," she shook her head and motioned for me to continue, "but this all can be avoided if we just stand up to them and say we don't want to do this." I held out a hand and she thought about my deal for a moment before shaking it and hugging me.

"Thank you; you really are a very good person. I hope you two can be happy together," she sighed and let me go, straightening out her dress. "We'll tell them tomorrow after morning tea. Excuse me I must get back to my mother." She handed me the cheap golden band across her right finger and I turned to Bella who still looked too stunned to speak.

"...Did that really just happen?" she asked quietly like if she spoke too loud it wouldn't be true. I grabbed her hands, kissing her fingers before I smiled at her.

"Yeah, it really did. Now we can get married right and let everyone know instead of disappearing. Granted, my father will be murderously angry and probably forbid it, but I really don't care anymore. This is a sign from the universe. It's telling us that we're meant to be," I laughed as I pushed her messy hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek in my hand.

She looked sad briefly, then smirked up at me, meeting my lips discreetly behind the cover of her sun hat. Oh yes, that was my Bella: the master of stealth. I grabbed her closer and let the hat fall to the ground because I just didn't care anymore. Her arms wrapped around my neck and our chests were pressing together closely. It was when someone coughed in front of us that we parted. She was blushing as the old lady that had coughed walked by us, winked, and raised her eyebrows a few times.

"Oh wow," Bella laughed when she was out of sight, "things are just getting more insane here by the minute. Let's go and find Alice before she eats all the pie and comes back empty handed." I reached down and grabbed her drink for her and she took her bear in her arms happily.

I held out my arm and we strolled back to the picnic table while everyone else continued to enjoy the fireworks. They could be seen clearly from where the table was on a hill because everyone was either sitting or lying down in the grass. My father had showed up and was sitting beside my mother with an unhappy look on his face when he saw Bella and I looking so drunken and happy together.

He wasn't too pleased that each night we'd go out to the bar with Emmett and Rose, singing and playing music until dawn. He told me she was changing me in the most unpleasant way, but I didn't care. I'd never felt more free than I did now.

"Hello father." I nodded toward him when Bella was seated and I sat beside her. As we suspected, Alice had already had two slices of pie and a few hot dogs – she had no intention of bringing anything back to us.

"Mhm, where were you two?" He eyed the bear in her arms and noticed I pushed another beer toward her.

"Down in the field watching the show until she got hungry and we came back up here," I explained. He watched her drink the cool beverage and glared at her.

"I think it is improper a young girl to be a lush in public." He tried to take the beer from her, but I took it instead, making both of them angry as I downed the last of it.

I shrugged when his eyebrows rose, but Bella just went back to eating her pie. She learned a long time ago to just ignore my father and as much as I wished I could do the same, I couldn't. "It's not your place to tell her what she can and can't do. My job is to make her happy and not ask too many questions in doing so." I handed her a soda this time and she gratefully took it with a smile. Her hand squeezed mine under the table and I felt the desire to kiss her as she looked sadly down at her plate again.

But he grumbled in response, distracting my previous thoughts. "Not your job to do anything with her, she's not your fiancée. Speaking of the girl, where is Lauren?" He looked around curiously.

My mom looked around, "I believe she is with her family. She has requested that we all are at our home for tea tomorrow, even you dear. She and Edward have an announcement." She eyed me in a way that told me she already knew what was going to be said. My mother was always pretty intuitive, but I never thought that she might know I loved Bella even if I said I wanted to marry Lauren.

"Alright, I will go to work a bit late then. Bella, I trust you have had no such luck finding your grandmother?" he asked, looking at her skeptically. Okay, when I said parents, it may have just been my mom saying she'd keep it away from my father until we were already on the train and out of here.

"Yes. Actually, Edward has helped me locate her." My father nodded, biting down into a hamburger when she didn't speak any more on the subject.

Just as I started eating he spoke up again, wiping his mouth clean. "Are you going to stay with her, or will you be returning to Chicago?" Bella cracked a smile, looking up at him with defiance in her eyes.

"I don't know yet." She kept it vague because we both already knew that he wasn't going to care about Bella after tomorrow.

"Oh, well whatever you decide to do," my mother spoke up for my father, "you are welcome here for as long as you want. Pass me that cherry pie, dear." She nudged my father and he handed her the food without another word to my Bella. She went back to holding my hand under the table until the show stopped and we all got into separate cars to head home. Emmett was in the back while Bella was in the front with me, and Alice and Jasper were in his car with my mother and father.

It didn't take us long to get home after dropping Rosalie off at her house a few blocks away from our home. Emmett picked her up in his arms and swung her around, looking like a love-sick puppy as she sauntered back to her house and blew him a kiss from the porch. Bella giggled when Emmett fell across the back seat, his eyes shut, and a smile on his face. "God I love that woman," he sighed.

"We can see that," Bella flicked his nose gently and he glared up at her, "are you excited to almost be a daddy?" She asked curiously. Emmett didn't even need to think about it.

"There is nothing in this world more exciting to me than the little baby growing inside of her," he explained, looking up at her shyly as he blushed. I found it funny that he was embarrassed by admitting any weakness, but I knew if Bella was every pregnant with my child I would be the same way. I seriously doubted that would ever happen though; she seemed to be very happy being just Bella and I couldn't honestly see her being a mother any time soon.

We got home and my father continued to complain about me paying more attention to Bella and not enough to Lauren. I dismissed it because tomorrow he would see why: I was going to tell him I loved Bella and there was nothing he could do about it. She was my girl, my love, my everything and it was time to stand up for that. Even if he didn't like it. I found myself not alone when I went up to my room for the night and saw Bella sitting across my bed, writing in her journal like she always did during the night before she slept.

"Hey stranger," I stole the phrase from our first private conversation and she didn't even look up to see who it was, "what has you so completely lost in my bedroom?" I asked as I sat beside her. She was wearing something I should have expected: a white eyelet lace nightgown, but that didn't mean I wasn't surprised to see her in here.

"You do," she patted the bed beside her and slid the journal to the floor, "I thought we'd mix it up and I'd spend the night in here for a change." She smiled when I slid my shoes off and fell next to her. I guess it didn't really matter, being as everyone was asleep, but when she curled up in my arms as she did every night, there was something more intimate about it. Maybe it was because this beautiful woman beside me was to be my wife, or it could have been that she said yes to me and no other man.

"I love you, Edward," she whispered just before I fell asleep, and with a smile on my lips and hopes in my heart for tomorrow, I responded to her affection with my own.

"And I love you, my Bella."

The morning came too soon, with Alice barging in and demanding Bella from my arms. We parted with a soft kiss and she ruffled my hair before promising to be there to watch the sparks fly between my father and I. I was dreading it, but when Lauren showed up, I walked out into the hallway to find Bella there waiting for me. She looked like she was about to go horseback riding in brown riding trousers that stopped at her waist, and a white button up shirt tucked into her pants that was rolled up to her elbows. This time, she held her arm out for me and we started descending the steps together.

"Don't be nervous," she tried to relax my stiff muscles with one gentle kiss, and it helped – if only minimally, "remember, this is for us," she whispered as we came into the living room and saw Lauren, her mother, and a very abashed looking Michael Newton beside her.

"Edward, I am dreadfully sorry to tell you but," my father placed a hand on my shoulder, "Lauren is with Michael's child. It looks like the engagement is called off," he sighed like that was a bad thing and Bella giggled once before shutting her mouth tight when everyone stared at her angrily. Well this certainly wasn't how things were to plan out, but when I looked at Lauren she winked at me and smiled. That was when I knew she wasn't pregnant and this was her way of getting out of her father's business deals for good.

Bella coughed when my father's eyebrow raised and brought an almost believable frown of concern to her face. "Sorry. Yes, how unfortunate." She bowed her head, but I could still see the smirk on her plump lips. I had to look away from them before I started kissing her in front of everyone and gave us away to those who didn't already know.

As her family apologized and he began saying it wasn't anything of great importance: that I would find another woman to marry, I knew it was time to speak up. Bella gripped my hand tighter, giving me all the reassurance I needed to find the courage deep inside of me and let it out. It was time to "bring on the madness" as Bella would have said.

"I am sorry to hear that-"

"Its fine, Edward. I am sure we will find you someone to marry all in good time. Miss Swan," he turned to Bella before I could break the news to him, "you have a letter from your grandmother in New York. I must be off to work now." he handed her a letter and left for his car like I knew he would after his 'business transaction' was terminated. Bella frowned while she walked outside to read it. I decided the news would have to wait, and followed her out to the porch where she had her fingers to her lips as she read whatever news the letter brought.

"My grandmother is coming to Chicago," she frowned again, reading over the short letter I could see. She handed it to me and I read over it myself.

_Isabella,_

_I've never been to Chicago. It sounds nice and I'd like to meet this Alice girl you wrote about – I didn't know Bella had been writing to get grandmother – I will be there in a few days time. Tell that Edwin boy I will pay for the tickets he has bought because I don't want to be rude. We have much to discuss and I look forward to seeing you._

_-Marie_

What kind of grandmother would write her first name? I ignored the use of Edwin instead of Edward and had a feeling that this woman was to be a handful, just like her granddaughter. Even the conversation I had with her on the phone was tiring. I handed the letter to Bella and saw her looking out across the street absentmindedly. "What is it love? This is good, now we don't have to go all the way to the city to see her." I folded the letter up and put it back in the envelope. She held it in her hands but continued to stare away with a blank expression that worried me.

"It's just I haven't seen her in a while," I could tell she was lying, but I didn't ask why; if Bella had something to say, then she'd tell me in her own time, "and I really wanted to see New York with you." I grinned when the blank look left her features and she smiled up at me. I had been looking forward to see the city as well, but more than that, being alone with Bella for an entire weekend. Perhaps that would have to be done sometime, because I was getting very tired of people being able to hear us at night. I wanted to be alone with the woman I loved more than the world itself.

"We'll go by ourselves soon I'm sure," I sighed because that was only true and it made me feel a bit jaded to think about, "my father didn't even give me the chance to tell him about our engagement. Does my mother know?" I had the itching feeling the entire time she was staring at me that she knew something was being unsaid, and when Bella nodded her head my suspicions were confirmed.

"You told her?" I didn't mean to sound so cold, but she had told me I couldn't breathe a word of it to anyone.

She turned to me with narrowed eyes. "Only because she already knew when she saw my ring. She told me," she chuckled, "if we ever have kids she wanted to know where I planned on taking you. It kind of made me feel like I was kidnapping you." She held out one of her hands and I captured it in mine, placing a kiss there.

I hugged her close to me with one arm and she put her little hands on my chest as we both watched the swaying trees in the park across the street. I thought about all of the things to happen in the future, and I hoped they centered mostly around Bella and I together. "I'll go willingly, I promise. I think," I hated to tell her this way but it seemed the only option now that I saw how angry my father already was that the girl I was promised to cheated on me, "that we should wait until we move to get married." She walked away from me and I had to fight the urge to look at her backside in those pants, so I looked the other way as well. She was angry – very angry and I could tell from her silence.

A few moments passed, moments of worry and hope that she didn't flip out and tell me I was a coward, because I really did have a good reason for being one. A part of me feared she wouldn't want to marry me if I couldn't even tell my father. Then, soft as a whisper, her voice met my ears.

"Why? Are you ashamed of me as well?" I could hear the hurt in her tone and I turned to find her standing with her arms crossed and tears pooling in her brown eyes.

I came over to her, but she pushed me back and looked away again. I sighed in frustration and yanked on my hair. "No Bella, I am not ashamed of you. Do you see how old my dad is? I think if I tell him he might have a heart attack. That and I'm afraid he will make you go away if we say anything. We can't just pretend like Lauren was with Mike, because I do have to finish my studies. I don't want to be away from you any longer than I have to. I've really started enjoying holding you close to me at night," She had let me come closer and my hands were resting on her small shoulders gently. She was smiling when she turned, and our lips met very briefly because we were out in front of the house, and it was a sign that she was agreeing.

"I have as well," she sighed deeply, like she was irritated, alright. "but you still want to marry me, right?" For the first time, I saw Bella looking self-conscious and a bit worried. I didn't know how she could ever think that I didn't want her. She was always so strong and sure of herself, but when her little hands circled around her arms, she looked like she was trying to hold in the pain inside of her.

I put my hands on her thin arms and ran them up and down, trying to relieve her always cold skin. "Yes, I really do. And if I could I would shout it to the heavens that I love you, more than my own life," I had her in my arms when she started grinning again and I pressed my lips to her forehead, "I love you so much, and I can't even say why." I whispered again when her arms went around my middle.

She looked up at me, pressed her full lips against mine, and held me closer to her chest. "Good, because I don't want to have to kill you." I laughed at her threat and took her hands in mine.

We went back into the house, searching for my mother. "Come on, we should go tell my mom that your grandmother will be in town for a while. She'll want to make up the extra room."

She pulled me back toward the door, a look of trepidation on her face as she shook her head. "We can do that later, I think I want to go to the meadow today."

That sounded more than appealing. An afternoon of playing music and kissing my love was just what I wanted and I left the house right beside her, all of my former concerns behind us. We walked through the thick trees and found ourselves in the haven we'd created around all the madness that was our lives. She took my hand, ran across the tall grass with a smile, until she fell and brought me with her. Our lips connected and I was home at last; in my Bella's arms.

**A/N: Why can't all dudes be like Edward? :/**

**Review **

**-Panda**


	11. Grandma Marie

**Chapter Eleven**

**"Grandma" Marie**

**(Bpov)**

_July 7th 1918_

_Will things ever get easier? My "grandmother" that shouldn't exist, turns up and writes that she knows Alice AND me even though I've never written her a letter in my entire time being here. Makes me nervous – maybe she will give away that I'm from the future and I'll lose everything I've worked for here in the past month. I seriously hope not because I don't plan on ever going back to the future. This is my home now, no matter how I got here._

_Edward and I are being very secretive now. We don't even hold hands in public, just link arms and walk in sync with each other. At night though, damn I never knew he would go so far. We kissed, very deeply now, and his hands would roam my body – my entire body in the most sensual way. Last night I felt him against me, and we almost went too far. He was always such a gentleman though, and made sure I was alright with everything we were doing. He even left my room if it got to be too much for both of us because I didn't have the moral integrity he spoke of so often. I never thought I believed in love at first sight, but with Edward I had it. I've been here a month and three days and I feel like I've never lived anywhere else._

_He is getting a bit suspicious though. He asks me questions about what my words mean and why the songs I sing have words he's never heard before. I've stopped singing such modern things with him and go back to jazzy acoustic numbers. It helps me blend in minimally. I don't want to have to tell him I'm from a hundred years in the future because he would surely have me committed, no matter how much he loves me. He already thinks it's weird that I've invested some of my money in woman's pants, that are more like palazzo pants from modern times, so I don't have to wear dresses. Alice said it was alright, for me, because I was so weird already anyway._

_I may be weird, but god damn it I'm comfortable at last._

"Hey love," Edward came in and stood beside me just as I shut my diary, "want to go lay in the grass?"

I nodded, anxious to stop waiting for the imminent arrival of my "grandmother" inside of the house. He took my hand and I stood, smiling as his lips met my collar bone, then my jaw line, and finally my lips. There was a smile on his lips as he pushed me back further as if to get a better look at me, "you look almost edible. Would it be okay if I said I never wanted to see you wear a dress again?" He chuckled as his lips kissed my neck again and I ran my hands through his hair sweetly.

"Totally okay," I whispered. His hands pulled me closer, making me moan when his teeth ran across my ear lobe, but he moved away with a sexy smirk on his lips. Always leaving me just at the edge of turned on and irritated. I shoved him playfully and we linked our arms when we got into the hallway. We walked out back, passing some of the servants on our way to unchain Rufus. I'd become best friends with Edward's dog and didn't see why everyone thought he was so vicious: he was a sweetheart to me.

We wandered through the garden, our hands connected between us as we shut our eyes and let the wind carry us to the small patch of grass amongst the sunflowers. It was a beautiful day for either tragedy or success, and my stomach was turning in knots as we waited for either to happen. He kissed my fingers, sensing my worry.

"Don't be so nervous, love. You're paler than usual. I'll be right beside you and she is your grandmother after all. She can't take you away if you don't want to go." He thought I was worried for all the wrong reasons. I hated lying to him, and recently I had been doing it more often than not. There were certain things I couldn't say and I knew why, but I desperately just wanted to tell him "Edward, I'm weird because I'm from a hundred years in the future" but it was a bit more complicated than that, so I went back to watching the clouds and brought up another lie.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just worried she's going to be very angry with me for going away. Even though I don't exactly know how I got here," I laughed because that was certainly true. I hoped this grandmother woman would be able to at least tell me how I got here. Edward kissed away my worries, bringing lust and love into my heart and body quickly. It was so easy to just get lost in how much I liked to kiss him sometimes.

"Bella, Edward," Alice called from outside of the garden, "the grandma person is here!" I took in a deep breath and he helped me to my feet. I was immediately nervous and toying with the hem of my shirt, but he swatted my hands away.

"Calm, love. There's nothing she can do that would separate us, okay?" he kissed my cheek when we got back into the house and I nodded, walking toward the front porch with his hand still in mine.

This was the moment we'd been waiting for all weekend; my grandmother's arrival. Well, my great, great grandma according to Alice. My great grandmother was already eighteen and moved out of this one's house. It was more believable if a woman that could actually be a grandmother came here anyway.

She was definitely believable. Edward held me on his arm as I took in the woman standing by the door. The first thing I noticed was that she wasn't as old as I suspected she would be. She had to be only about thirty. She had short brown hair, intense blue eyes, and a sly smile when she caught a glimpse of me. She was wearing a white fur coat across her shoulders, and a mid-calf length black dress that hugged her movie-star curves. She was even smoking one of those long cigarettes.

"Girl, you've had your grandfather and I so worried," she hugged me in a way that almost made me believe she was my grandmother. "How did you get in Chicago of all places?" She asked, looking at me with a different kind of curiosity in her eyes. A curiosity I recognized immediately as one that meant 'why are you here', but not just in Chicago.

I nervously ran my hands across my pants, straightening them. "I don't really know I woke up here and don't have any memory of anything before that," she nodded wistfully and looked at Elizabeth.

She rushed Edward and Alice back into the house, smiling at us. "Come on, let them have a moment alone." they began to protest, saying the exotic old woman was too interesting to miss, but we both just chuckled and she held out her arm for me to take.

"Come on, you have some explaining to do, future girl." She motioned toward the park across the street and we began walking toward the sidewalk. So she did know I wasn't from here, but would she say anything? And how did she even know in the first place? I felt nervousness sink in when we were walking passed people and weaving through the thick trees. She seemed to relax when we were out of sight of the road, so I went on to explain.

"I'm from the year 2005. You're my great, great grandmother Marie and I don't know how I got here at all. How do you know me?" I asked when I finished the short version of my story. It was better than 'hey grandma I tried to kill myself and now I'm here, a hundred years in the past, in love with an amazing guy, and I don't want to go back. Could you not say anything to anyone please?' She smiled and patted my hand.

"You aren't the first person to travel back honey," I stopped mid step and looked over at her reminiscent smile in shock, "I went back to the year eighteen-ninety when I was seventeen after trying to fling myself from a cliff. I assume you did something to the kind because we only travel when time wants us to have a fresh start. I came here from the sixties and met your great, great grandfather much like you met Edwin. But I came back much further than you did and it was a horse that almost toppled me over, not a car."

She nodded when my brow furrowed, "yeah I had the same expression when I started dreaming about you and your little friend Alice. Giving me visions and shit. That's when I knew we were related because the woman who was supposed to be related to me when I came back told me she saw me coming." She sighed, taking a long drag of her cigarette. So, she could do it at as well? It was almost hard to believe that there were more people out there that were being thrust back into time and seeing the future like Alice and I. Yet, here stood this woman, spilling her deepest secrets to me because she was my grandmother a hundred years from now. She didn't even know me, but she was helping me selflessly and the information really did explain everything running around in my mind.

"So we stay after we've been taken back?" I clarified and she shrugged. I waited as she stepped on the end of her spent death stick and immediately lit another.

"It's hard to say," she looked up at me, "your friends Alice and Rose came back to their time, but I don't know how it works. Maybe because they have chances of love here and we never had chances back in our days. I'm guessing that you won't because Edwin-"

"Edward, grandma," I laughed and she smirked up at me.

"_Edward_ loves you very much. I could see it in his eyes when I started walking away with you. The only thing I ever had trouble with here was forgetting my flower child days and trying to blend it. Which I still don't do so well, but I could give a rat's ass what these up tight squares have to say." she chuckled, relieving me with her horrible language.

"Well, what about not aging when I first got here? My hair stopped growing-"

"Very common. It only happens until time has decided that you belong here and you start aging again, it happened to me too." She assured me and I let out a sigh of relief.

Well, that was a good. She had just cleared up everything I had ever had a doubt on, and I didn't even know how to thank her or what to call her. "So can I call you grandma? Even though you aren't." She glared, rolling her eyes at the name.

"I guess, even though my oldest daughter is eighteen. I'm only forty-five," she laughed, "and I have an eighteen year old granddaughter. This should be fun," she smirked and weaved an arm through mine as we turned and started heading back to the house. I loved how she smelled like a fancy French perfume and tobacco at the same time and tried very hard to remember it, just in case I never saw her again. I think I saw where my personality came from: obviously my grandmother because she was a spitfire just as I was and she didn't take shit from anyone.

"So do you approve of Edward? I know when we get back he is going to want to ask you if it's alright for us to get married-"

"You're engaged?" Her eyes were wide as she looked at me with a smirk on her ruby red lips. Still, she seemed unsurprised by the news.

I nodded, blushing furiously. "He asked me a while ago, but he wants your approval. You know, gentlemen," we both rolled our eyes at the same time, "so what do you say?"

She wrapped an arm around my body, squeezing my shoulders. "I say that you are a grown woman and don't need approval from anyone to get married if you want to. But, Grandma Marie will give you her blessing," she chuckled, making my heart just about explode with happiness.

"Oh I was so nervous about meeting you today, but now all I can say is you are a blessing, Marie. I couldn't thank you enough for telling me I can have my love forever." I hugged her and she patted my back gently, laughing at my spew of words.

"Any more questions?" she asked as we neared the Masen house. She declined the invitation to stay here, not being rude, but admitting she wanted to stay somewhere closer to the inner city to go see plays and gamble. Elizabeth immediately knew exactly what she meant and could see that I was just like my grandmother.

"Just one," I frowned because this was a deeper one; much more painful than the rest, "what happens to Frankie – my older brother? Will he forget I ever existed or mourn me forever?" She seemed confused as well, but tried to answer as best as she could.

"I believe that time heals all wounds, and that even if he doesn't forget you, he will let go when he's ready." She rubbed my back when we stepped up onto the porch and Edward came outside. He was grinning at me with light in his eyes and my grandma pushed me behind her for a second.

"Mister, I hear you want to marry my granddaughter." she kept her voice low so people inside couldn't hear.

He nodded, swallowing audibly at her hostile expression. "I do. I love her very much and I swear I will take the best care of her. She's everything to me," he reached for my hand and I took his, kissing the top of it before standing beside him.

Her white smile got impossibly wide and she nodded, "welcome to the family then, Edward. But I swear," the frown returned and her eyes narrowed, "if you ever hurt her I will make sure you suffer for it." His eyes were wide and she turned to Elizabeth who had just come out with a pleasant look on her face.

"Have a nice night, y'all. It was good seeing you Bella, and if you ever wish to do so, you can come stay with me in New York," we embraced again comfortably and she whispered in my ear, "I've left something in your pocket. Consider it my wedding gift to you," she kissed my cheek and then waved as she stepped toward a taxi that had been waiting since she arrived. She blew me a kiss and winked before stepping in and commanding that the driver take her to the nearest bar. Edward chuckled behind me and I could almost hear his eyes rolling.

"What?"

He shook his head and led me back inside, "nothing. I just see where you get it from now." I smacked the back of his head playfully and he wrapped his arm around my waist, kissing away my complaints.

"No, if I'm too much for you Edward I'm sure I can find someone that can take my attitude-" I joked, but stopped when his eyes turned black with hatred.

He grabbed me close, pinning me against the wall solely with the fire in his eyes. His lips trailed down my neck, biting and licking the skin there while his hands ran to the small of my back, rubbing circles there. My arms wrapped around his neck when he spoke. "Are you sure you want to go find someone else?" He was nearly growling in my ear and I felt heat run down to my panties when he pushed himself against me.

"N-No. I want you," I sighed in pleasure when his hands ran down my sides, "now." I whispered, because we were in the middle of a hallway where anyone could walk up behind us or beside us.

It was he who grinned then, and he stopped pushing himself against me. "Not yet, my love. I want to be married to you first; we should at least do one thing right." he grabbed my hands and kissed the ring that was still on my right hand while I huffed away about the unfairness of it all. I did see his point though, because somehow I did want to be his wife before we made love. It was the ultimate act of romance; the man and the woman holding each other all night long, loving each other with each hushed touch of skin, each kiss more heated than the one before it. Just the thought made my knees go weak and made waiting worth it. "Fine, but if I spontaneously combust before then, you'll have to deal with Grandma Marie's wrath." His eyes narrowed.

"I'll take my chances," he finally chuckled, obviously seeing through my bluff, "now, what would you-" he was cut off by the sound of someone knocking loudly on the door: it echoed loudly through the house.

Elizabeth was the one to answer, so Edward and I followed to see who it could be. I was almost angry to see James, Lauren's brother, standing there, looking dapper in his suit with his hair slicked back. His face was still so angry, almost malicious as he caught sight of m standing behind Edward's protective stance.

"Hello, I came to have word with Miss Swan, if that is alright." Elizabeth nodded and let him in with narrowed eyes, always watching his movements.

Edward didn't budge and when I tried to step in front of him he captured my arm, almost painfully and forced me behind him. "If you harm one hair on her head, I will kill you myself," he warned lowly to the boy.

The over confident smirk on James's face was enough to make me very irritated and want to hit him in a place where it would hurt. "I've simply come to ask if Isabella-"

"Bella." I corrected coolly, glaring at him as he grinned down at me in a sickening way. I wrapped my arms around myself and felt the need to put the thickest dress I could find on.

"If _Bella_ would come on a date with me." I froze and started to feel myself shake because that would mean being alone with this guy for at least an hour, and he gave me a bad feeling. I felt like he was slime and just wanted women for sex; much like a few men I'd met in my time.

"Oh come on," he could sense my hesitation, "just for an ice cream." I noticed that the sun was already starting to go down and that would mean we'd be alone at night. I didn't have a father behind me to say no, just a very ticked off boyfriend that wasn't in the position to do anything either.

"Go on Bella," Edward Sr. encouraged, smiling at me from his spot behind his paper; he'd been home for the day, something about his new client missing a meeting, "get out of the house for a little while. It'd be good for you two, "he gestured between Edward and I, "to get some separation."

Edward glared at his father, but stood back, "Bella wouldn't you like to change?" I nodded gratefully and ran upstairs, trailing him along with me.

"What the fuck are we going to do?" I whispered as he threw a thick unflattering dress at me. I took off my pants in front of him, ignoring the blush he gave me and snapped to get him back into thinking. This was serious! I didn't want to go anywhere with that sleaze ball, especially at night and without my Edward to protect me.

He paced, tugging on his hair as he thought. "I will be close behind, out of sight. If he tries anything I will intervene and kill him," he snarled looking angrier than I'd ever seen, "this is why we fucking need to announce we are engaged! If this son of a bitch knew he wouldn't be anywhere near you!" he kicked my dresser roughly and sat down on my bed as I slid the dress over my shoulders, tying it in the back.

"And whose fault is that? Fuck Edward I told you we needed to tell people after Lauren left you!" I whisper shouted as I pinned my hair up hurriedly. He grabbed my waist and looked at me seriously.

"Bella, be extremely careful. He is not to be trusted. Don't say anything out of turn, don't go anywhere but the ice cream parlor and come straight back. Do you understand?" I'd never seen this side of Edward, and if I wasn't so freaked out of my mind, it might have turned me on a little. I nodded and he let me go gently, only to bring my lips to his.

It was a hard kiss, a rough one that frightened me more than the man downstairs did. I felt like Edward was saying sorry in it, and I didn't like the feeling. "Please my Bella, be safe. I love you too much to lose you to that psychopath. There's really nothing I can do to stop this," he seemed to whisper to himself with tears in his eyes. I kissed them away and held him close to my chest, trying me best to soothe his worries with my fingers across his scalp and through his hair.

"I will be safe and you will be there with me, love. Don't lose me from your sight," I smiled and he nodded, wiping away the moisture from his eyes and leaning down to kiss me properly this time. His arms wrapped around my waist and I took in a deep breath as I rested my head against his chest. I loved holding Edward, even more so when it was like this. I reached up and our lips met one more time, before a knock came from the door.

"Ready Miss Swan?" Edward's dad called through the door and I nodded to him, watched Edward slip out of my window down the various sheets we often tied to sneak out at night on, and made sure he got down safely before I pulled the sheets up again.

Edward blew me a kiss from below, whispering be safe once more before I shut my window. I opened the bedroom door and saw both Edward Masen Sr. and James standing there, expectantly waiting for my answer. "As ready as I'll ever be."

**A/N: Grandma Marie is so much fun to write about :)**

**Review **

**-Panda-Sama (lol)**


	12. Blood

**Chapter Twelve**

**Blood**

**(Bpov)**

James took my arm in his as we strolled down the sidewalk to the ice cream shop that wasn't too far from here, and I felt uncomfortable already. I didn't miss that I wasn't able to see what Marie had given me in my pocket as a wedding gift, but those thoughts were at the back of my mind as my eyes scanned the park for any signs of a bronze haired man anywhere. James distracted me with small talk, and when he asked me something I had to answer, my eyes tore away from the surroundings.

"My immediate family is from New York, yes. Most of the rest are in Europe though," I sighed when his blue eyes peered into mine, making my stomach turn. Unfortunately, he wasn't like Edward and had to hold my arm the entire time we walked the slow ten blocks down the road to the ice cream place. I wanted to run when his eyes ran down my body, and I really hoped Edward was keeping true to his promise because I was already regretting this whole entire thing more than I should have. I wished Edward's dad saw me like everyone else did and at least tried to protect me from awkward, creepy dates.

"That's interesting. Well," he opened the door, standing entirely too close to me, "here we are." I stepped in before him, hoping that there were enough people in here to keep his conversation light.

The walls were bright pink and blue, the floor was solid wood, and there were benches and tables all around the warm parlor. It was charming, and I smiled, only to find I as standing beside the wrong man. That was when I saw a flash of bronze hair out the window and saw Edward sitting across the street on a bench, pretending to read the paper. It made me feel better to see his concerned green eyes trained on me, and I relaxed noticeably.

"Two please." He tried to pay for mine, but I slid my own money across so he knew this really wasn't any more of a date than I wanted it to be. He frowned when he saw me shove my change into my boot and scoffed loudly.

I looked up at him, my eyebrow quirked as I folded my arms across my chest even though I was wearing a thick dress that covered all my curves. I didn't like how I felt like his stare could see through my clothes.

"You're strange, aren't you?" he asked, looking me over again like I was insane or something.

"I suppose I am," I sighed, feeling my self-esteem drop immediately.

I may have been weird, but it hurt even if this guy meant nothing to me. Edward never said I was weird or strange; he never said I was too different or too free. I wished, somewhere inside of me, that I could have gone on an outing like this with Edward without it being improper. I could wait until we got to New York though; it was worth it. I licked away at the vanilla ice cream, trying my best to down it quickly so I could go back home to my Edward's arms. This guy freaked me out, and that was saying something.

After a few moments, and me tapping my fingers on the hard metal of the table in front of us, he stood. "Let's get you home, this has been quite uneventful and little to my liking," he sounded like _I_ was the problem here. It almost made me smile, until I looked over and saw Edward was no longer sitting at the bench, but entering the park.

"H-hey," I took his hand, "let's go through the park this time." There were too many dark alley ways on the way back to the Masen's house. The park was simple: one trail, one way in, and one way out. He nodded a smirk on his lips that made me regret suggesting that we go back that way. There were fewer people on the streets now, because it was getting dark, and I felt the need to rush back in the house and look the door. I would really need Edward's arms tonight.

"So, you and Edward. What's going on there?" He broke the comfortable silence with his deep voice. I did what I thought was best; I lied.

I wrapped my arms around myself again when his eyes, yet again, ravished my body. "Nothing is happening between Edward and me. We're just friends." Friends that swapped saliva and wanted to fuck all the time, but it wasn't all a lie. He was my very best friend in the whole world, except Alice, and he was my love. It was the best combination I could imagine.

He snorted. "If I was in that big house alone with you at night, I'd be doing a lot more than nothing. I'm surprised he hasn't been in your room, taking you over and over again. I know I would." I shivered at his words and felt my heart quicken in fear. He had just admitted he would rape me if we lived together, and what? He expected me to just run with it and be calm while he threatened me?

"That is quite enough, thank you. I must be getting home now. Thank you for the outing, it was...agreeable." I came up with the word, smirking to myself as I stepped a few paces away from him.

"I am not done with you, Miss Swan," he growled, pulling me back into his arms. I struggled and swatted him away, but straightened my dress and gave him a stern look.

"Excuse me," my voice was soft because fear seized my tongue and took over my every thought.

My mind was shouting at me to run and never look back, but the stubborn side of me wanted to kick his ass and watch him cry because a girl could humiliate him. I'd had a lot of practice with Frankie – and he was six foot tall and muscular. I could take this wimp myself, but something about the way his eyes would darken and his black expression told me he was dangerous. Very dangerous and not to be trusted as Edward said. I tugged my hand free again and he glared.

"You won't make it out of this park, whore. If you're still a virgin, I want to take that all away. Let me show you what it's like to be with a _real_ man," he chuckled and grabbed my hair roughly when I turned my back. I yelped in pain before his hand clamped down over my mouth and masked my screams. He was dragging me into the thick brush when his words reached my ears and set panic in over the irritation.

"Don't do this," my voice rose in panic, still warning him as he came closer, "Edward will find you and I won't stop him if he wants to snap your neck!" Smart one Bella, threaten the man holding you captive.

He slapped me across the face deafeningly, and I cringed away when his hand rose again. He hit me with his fist this time, right across my nose, and I fell to my knees with the force of the blow. It was like he had hit me with a baseball bat across the face and I was seeing black spots before I could feel him breathing down my neck and pulling my dress up. I slapped his chest, my teeth bared as I tried desperately to fight back, but he hit me again and knocked me to the ground. He kicked ribs repeatedly when I struggled, laughing as I cried out in pain. I was upright again, dizzy, and felt like the world was spinning around me as the smell of rust and salt came to me. I felt my stomach turn.

"If you try to run I will only make it slower and more painful," he whispered as his hands ran up my dress. He was touching my smooth legs, hissing in satisfaction when he reached my knees. I bit down on his hand and he yelp before his fists came down on me again, making me see red. The ringing in my ears was loud, but I turned around with wobbly legs and let my fist connect with his face hard.

"Bitch," he shouted, taking my hair again; he shoved me into the ground, knocking the wind out of me, "I'll teach you your place in the world, _woman_." he spat the word in disgust and I felt the anger from before nearly beat out the fear when I could hear his zipper coming undone.

I looked around again, but saw only the darkening twilight sky and the black trees jolting violently in the wind. Was this the last sight I would ever have in my life? The last night I would ever experience? I felt tears pour down my face, but not tears of sadness – I was furious that this was happening to me of all people. And where was my Edward?

I could feel James's erection pressing into my backside as he hands ran up my waist and he bit down painfully on my neck. I screamed in discomfort, and struggled, only to be beat on some more. I could feel liquid in my mouth as I coughed, and saw blood coming from me. This should have been the end of me. No, the end of me should have happened a long time ago and not by the hands of a man. To be exact, it should have happened the night that I got on my Hayabusa and booked it out of Portland – searching only for death in the hills.

He had my panties down when something hit him hard and knocked me to the side. "Get the fuck off of her!" The voice of my savior thundered lividly.

I scrambled away when I was sure I was safe, pulling up the white cotton pooling at my ankles before I slumped back to the ground and shivered involuntarily. I thanked what had ever come and saved me from certain rape – or worse, death. I could hear yelling and the sound of fists pounding down on what sounded like a hollow tree. I wiped away the hazy tears and I could see, from my position on the ground, Edward standing over James. The problem with the scene, the thing that made me cringe into myself, was that he was beating his face in repeatedly. There was blood everywhere, staining my dress and Edward's clothes as he shouted incoherently at the boy.

He laughed angrily when the man held his hands up in surrender and kicked _him _in the ribs. "If you even _think_ of her again I will find you and shove that pathetic excuse for a cock down your throat, you sick son of a bitch!" More crunching came from the bloodied mess that once resembled a face, and I called out, hoping to distract him from the madness I saw. It was terrifying to see the man I loved so enraged and crazy looking, even if it was justified. I'd never seen him in such frenzy.

"Edward, please," I whispered and his head shot up quickly, as if he wasn't aware of his surroundings until he heard me speak, "I feel like my head is going to explode. Can't you shut him up or at least make the gurgling noise he's making quieter?" I groaned as the pain started to drift to me and everything came back into focus, but at least with one last kick to James's skull, he shut up.

When I could see his worried face clearly, the ache was excruciating in my chest and across my forehead. Like someone had stabbed me with a red hot dagger and left it in there. I rubbed my skull as I stood and faced the men, one of them already unconscious in the dirt. I hoped he choked on his own blood.

"Bella," Edward gasped as held me in his arms, "my Bella, I am so sorry. Please forgive me, I lost you when he dragged you out here," He kissed my cheek as I pressed my head into his chest and grumbled.

I felt stupid, so stupid it was almost embarrassing. I was blushing, even if he couldn't see it on my bloodstained cheeks. "It's not your fault it was stupid of me to bring him into the park. I forgot about the woods on that side," I nodded toward the savage looking wood at the end of the park that would lead people closer to Edward's meadow than civilization.

He ran his hands across my back and held me to him. Comfort filled me, almost blocking out the burn from the injuries, until I winced. "You need a doctor, can you walk?" he asked. He tried cooping me up in his arms, only to make me look like more of an invalid than I already was, but I shook my head and got back on my feet. I could feel my nose, assuming it was broken, and poked the bruised ribs on my side to see if walking the short distance home would be doable.

"I can walk myself, but please no doctors, I don't like needles or stitches" I begged and he just laughed down at me like needles were the least of my worries. I remembered all of the times in my clumsy childhood that I had to get stitches, until the doctors just told my mom how to do it herself. I didn't want to relive that experience any time soon.

He sighed and looked at me as I started wiping clotted blood away from my eyes and spit it out of my mouth. "Bella, when we go home I am calling the doctor, please don't fight me on this. Sometimes, I do know what I'm doing. I'm pretty sure your nose is broken."

Fury filled me. I walked over to where James was waking up and smiled down at him, "looks like the whore comes out victorious, huh player?" I patted his broken leg with my hand and he howled in pain, "I wish I could say the same for you, but I don't think you will be going anywhere for some time." Edward chuckled when my brow furrowed in false concern. James didn't seem amused.

I pressed my fingernails into his chin and made him look up at me; he did so with black eyes, "I guess that teaches you what a '_real'_ man will do for his woman. If you ever touch me again, I won't stop him from killing you and that is a promise, friend." Again, I patted the gashes across his face and he hissed at me. He reached for me, like he would hurt me again and before I could move away, James shouted a long line of profanities. Edward stopped him by pressing a foot into James's chest roughly, cracking something.

"Thanks babe," I stood and wiped my hands off on my dress, "Now, tomorrow you should wake up in the hospital in a lot of pain, but that won't be the worst of your problems. I'm going to the police so you will never be able to do this to another woman again. Edward, can you take care of this garbage so we can get home?" I turned my back when he grabbed the boy by his arms and began dragging him behind us. People gasped when they saw us and Edward dumped the groaning boy on the sidewalk in front of a police officer.

I crossed my arms and nodded toward the man on the cement when his eyes widened. "He tried to have sex with me in the woods and obviously I didn't reciprocate his feelings," the officer looked from me to the boy and seemed to believe my words, for he put handcuffs on him and made him stand weakly on his broken leg. "And I'd like to press charges and ask you for your help in taking him to the hospital. But if you're alright with it, I'd like to see him bleed to death on the sidewalk. Either way, it doesn't matter to me."

So James was escorted to the hospital by the officers after they took my statement, promising he would be in jail when he recovered. I simply told them the truth: we were on a date, which I never wanted to go on, and he forced himself on me. At which time I started beating him down to the ground until he stopped grabbing at me. They all got a good laugh out of it, and I knew that they knew Edward was the one who did it, but they didn't say anything.

Edward held my hand when their car was out of sight, so I let the other run across my forehead in an attempt to wipe away the grief inside. Standing was starting to get difficult. "Can we go home and call the doctor? I'm beginning to feel a bit dizzy and I'm sure I need some medicine." I laughed when his eyes returned to calm green pools. He nodded quickly, wiping the blood off his hands and onto his pants the best he could.

"Yeah, come here." He picked me up in his arms and I blushed deeply as he carried me a few blocks down the road bridal style. People looked at us as I pressed my head into his chest and tried to let his steady heartbeat soothe me, but he didn't seem to care.

His mother saw us coming down the road and she let out a frightened gasp. She opened the fence and let us up to the porch before she demanded to know what happened. Her hands were on my forehead and she made sure I was alive; I think my speaking actually relieved her. "James tried to rape me. We were in the park and thankfully Edward was there to beat the shit out of him, but not after he got me pretty well," She looked right at her husband, glaring as she pointed at me.

"See what you've done now?" Alice came down stairs with a pale of water and some rags like she knew she would need them. Elizabeth rang the doctor and immediately after, she took her husband outside where even the walls of the house couldn't protect us from her shouting. It was funny to watch her yell, but even more humorous to watch big, six foot tall Edward senior cringe away from her as if every word was a slap. He deserved it. As far as I was concerned this was his fault for telling me to go on a date with James in the first place.

"And don't even think for one minute that I am making that sweet girl go to New York. She is a part of this family now whether you like it or not! And she is _never _going on another date with the slimy children your partner raises!"

He began to protest then, "Beth,"

"Don't you Beth me, Edward. That girl is like a daughter to me and I love her, so damn you for hurting her this way." I heard the back door slam and Elizabeth came over to me. She kissed my cheek and I grabbed her hand, silently thanking her for defending me and making me feel welcome here.

"Thank you," I whispered and she shook her head, pressing a gentle hand to my forehead.

"Think nothing of it dear, it was only the truth." She helped Alice wipe away the blood from my eyes so I could see better and what troubled me was the look in Edward's black eyes. He was sitting beside me, holding my hand, but his eyes were far away and his jaw was taught. He looked beyond pissed off, but I didn't comment on it; I didn't want to make it worse.

Doctor Marx, the doctor I had met my first day here, was at the door only ten minutes later, but Edward wouldn't leave my side for one second while he examined me. "It looks like you've got a few bruised ribs, a broken nose," he reached up and snapped it back into place quickly, getting a fury of tears and curse words from me, "and that's that. I'll bandage up your nose and give you some medicine I want you to take before bed, and when you wake up."

The whole time he spoke I saw guilt cloud Edward's eyes and his mouth form a deeper frown. When my nose was taped up, a shot was given to me in my arm, and I felt like I had been hit in the face with a bag of morphine, he carried me up to bed without a word. Everyone else had agreed to let him stay with me because I would need someone to look after me tonight. I didn't mind, because I knew he'd be in here eventually, anyway.

"Stop feeling guilty, Edward. It wasn't your fault," I insisted as he started undressing me carefully. He slid the dress down to my shoulders and turned away so I could change into my nightgown. His breath caught when he looked and saw all of the bruises on my ribs. They weren't so painful, and they looked a lot worse than they felt.

He sighed, still looking out of the back window when I was settled into bed. "It is, I should have told everyone that I intended to marry you that night, but selfishness clouded my judgment. If I wouldn't have been such a coward you wouldn't be hurt right now. Is that the kind of man you want to marry? A coward?" I scoffed at the end of his "emo" kid speech and he scowled at me seriously. We stared at each other until I finally broke the silence and let the ire inside out.

"Shut up Edward. We didn't say anything because we knew it would be better if we didn't. Not because you're a coward and even if you were, I don't give a shit. I can take care of my damn self. I don't need no man to come save me, although I am glad you did. I could have taken care of it myself, even if it meant I got beaten up a bit more. Don't think for a second that I blame you for something that happened because James was a selfish prick," I ranted, crossing my arms when he came to sit beside me in the bed.

"I know you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, that's something I love about you. It's just I don't know who to blame in this situation or how to justify it. It's not fair that this happened to you," he kissed my hands and rested his head in my lap.

Running my fingers through his hair, I spoke softly to him. "Life isn't fair, Edward. It rarely turns out to be as good as we have it, and this is the universes way of saying we've got things too easy. Don't worry about it baby, I'm stronger with every hit I take. I'm not made of glass you know," I smirked when he shook his head.

"But sometimes I feel like you are. You're so fragile, so delicate. I can't even understand how someone could harm such an innocent girl with as kind as trusting as you are. I promise I will never let you leave with another man again. Tomorrow, we are going to tell my father and if he doesn't like it that's too bad for him. I won't let what happened tonight repeat with the next man who comes calling on you," he sighed, looking up at me with troubled eyes. I covered them with my hands and kissed his lips, making him smile at last.

When my hands move away, his bright green eyes were loving and soft. "Good. Come here," I pulled him close to me and rested my head on his chest, "I'm really tired. Stay with me?" I pouted and he brought our lips together slowly. I cringed when our noses clashed and we both parted, giggling at the awkwardness.

"Hey, there is something in my pants; can you give it to me?" I asked before we could both fall into a deep sleep and forget about it.

He handed them to me and I settled against him again before I could explain, "my grandma gave me something, a wedding present of sorts." I reached into the deep pockets and pulled out a thin silver chain.

Attached to it was a locket with a key to get it open. It looked older than life itself, but I turned the tarnished silver around and smirked at what year it was made in. 1962 was engraved in tiny, almost illegible writing. This thing _was_ a small piece of my grandma before she came and found love. I hoped to take it with me to my grave, because I was sure I could find some way to get a small picture inside of it.

"Would you like me to help you put it on?" he asked, reaching for it. It was around my neck, and so were Edward's lips, so I turned and kissed him one more time – very carefully.

We parted when I saw he was trying to control himself, and I really didn't feel up to kissing. "Maybe tomorrow I can beat the crap out of Lauren and we'll be even for that kiss she gave you," I sighed, feeling drowsiness start to take over mind and body.

He laughed, pulled me closer to him, and set a kiss on my forehead. "Sleep my love. I'll be here when you wake. Tomorrow we will start our lives." I smiled at that. It sounded so good, so damn desirable that I couldn't wait for the sun to come up.

"And tell them all to fuck off," I yawned, closing my eyes. He chuckled, sounding like he was far away, but I could feel his hot arms wrapped securely around my waist. I felt myself drifting, but my heart was warmed by the dream like quality of his words.

"Every single one of them."

**A/N: Psh. What an asshole, right? :) **

**Review it :D**

**-Panda**


	13. Engaged

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Engaged**

**(Epov)**

I could not sleep. My mind was still running over seeing him try to touch my Bella in the most intimate way, and it bothered me more than it should have. I was glad to beat him senseless, but I wanted to do so much more. I wanted him dead. I clutched Bella tighter when she whimpered in pain and rubbed at her broken nose, only to wince and drop her hands. This pain was that son of bitch's fault, and my father's. I slid away from her on the bed, since it was still early, and went to see the man responsible for her nearly being killed for fighting back. I was so proud of her for kicking and swinging at him, even if it only made him angrier. She was a fighter, and I loved seeing that fire in her eyes; I never wanted it to dim.

She noticed my absence almost immediately, and woke up, staring right at me where I stood at the door. "Are you going to come back?" She whispered, sleep coating her voice.

I nodded. "Of course. I couldn't leave your side for longer than I need to. I'm only going to have a word with my father," I explained.

She frowned, but shut her eyes and nodded. "Be nice."

"You know I can't promise that, my love." I smiled at her silliness, watched her fall back into the blankets and curl around a pillow, muttering something under her breath before I shut the door quietly.

The halls were empty, because it was after nine and most of everyone was already asleep, but I knew my father would be up working at this hour. He was sitting in his study reading some papers like nothing had even happened earlier, when I came in. I shut the door and turned to face him with a scowl on my face.

"Do you have any idea how much she means to me? Or are you _that _blind?" I laughed, crossing my arms as I looked out of the window that faced the back yard. His face turned to stone, and he sighed deeply.

He coughed, stood beside me, and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I do now. Your mother has informed me of your...plans to marry her." I couldn't tell if he liked that idea or if he detested it because his face was blank. He was always so cold during out conversations, and by now I had become accustomed to it, but I needed an honest answer at the moment.

"And?" My voice was quiet. I escaped his hard grasp and sat on the leather sofa beside the bookshelves.

"And," he sighed and ran his hands through his hair, "and I've denied your affection for her for too long. I'm sure you know my father forbade me ever marrying your mother, and I loved her so dearly ever since, but I never forgave him. I don't wish for that to happen to us, son. I know I'm not so good at showing it, but I do care about you. If you'd like to marry Miss Swan, I will not object any longer." he smiled over at me when my mouth started hanging open. Where was my father, and what had this man done with him?

Before he could change his mind, I spoke up. "Thank you-"

He held up a hand, "only one request, Edward. Please don't take our grandchildren away from us. Emmett and Rose can handle the business from here, but I don't want you to go simply because you hate us. Your mother is very worried you will go off to New York and we'll never see you two again and frankly so am I." I almost felt like I had entered a parallel universe where my father wasn't an ass, but there was real concern in his eyes that I had to address.

"We will not go away and never come back. Bella loves it here and I couldn't ever leave my family behind. No matter what, IF we have kids," I still shuddered at the idea, for I was only eighteen, "they will know you and you will be in their lives." He shook my hand and I saw moisture in his eyes for the first time in my life. This was as much as I was going to get, because my father was not a man of many words, and I'd never seen him nearly crying in happiness. I was smiling because he'd agreed to step out of my life and let me lead it, but mostly because I had finally met the father I'd wanted all of those years ago, and I didn't need him anymore.

"Thank you," I sighed again, letting out the breath I had been holding in my chest out at last. The world finally seemed brighter the noise around us was peaceful instead of an awkward silence that cut through the air.

He hugged me awkwardly, patted my shoulder when we parted, and sat back down behind his desk. His face was a little bit red from the demonstration of affection toward me. "Not a problem, son. Whatever makes you happy, even if it is one of those independent women. Just a warning, she's going to be a handful," he laughed, smiling up at me.

I chuckled and looked back at him from the open door, "she already is – and I love it." I shut the door behind me when he began laughing to himself, and hurried along back to my love for the rest of the night.

She was in the same position, so I settled behind her and pressed my body into hers, getting a sigh of pleasure past her lips. "Edward, why did you go?" she whispered, turned around, and put her face in the crook of my neck.

I wrapped my arms around her small waist and brought her closer to me. "My mom already told my father that we're getting married, and he's alright with it. He just asks that we don't move away and never come back." I chuckled when she smiled and ran her free hand through my hair gently. I could tell by her movements that she was drowsy.

"Good. I-I love you, Edward. I'm glad things are finally the way they should be," she yawned, cuddling closer to my warm body. I pressed my lips to her forehead and finally felt some sort of peace inside of my heart as I held her at night. It always felt so wrong, but now, even if we weren't married yet, it felt right. I felt my eyes droop, and I joined her in my dreams at last.

"Edward," I heard Bella's voice calling out to me, and felt her small hand shaking my shoulder, accompanied by her giggle, "come on, and wake up. Alice covered me in a bunch of makeup, and we're getting our picture taken today!" she exclaimed in fake enthusiasm and when I smiled she knew I was awake.

"Yay. I've been trying to wake you for a half an hour," she jumped on me and straddled my hips, making the erection I already had poke into her unexpectedly, "wow, are you happy to see me?" she laughed close to my ear and when I cracked an eye open I saw her only inches from my face.

She didn't look like anything had even happened to her. Alice masked the bruises with white powder to her nose and cheeks, and covered her eyes in thin liner. She only looked like maybe she hadn't slept last night, not been knocked around and had her nose broken. She had even taken the tape off her nose. I knew I was blushing when she kissed my cheeks and then very slowly, kissed my lips. Her tongue begged for entrance, and I gave in quickly, needing her closer. I felt fire in the core of my stomach, and when she moaned into my mouth it only grew larger, threatening to take everything and me with it.

"Stop," I panted, parting from her. I rolled her to my side so I could regain my composure and steady my breathing. I felt the blood drain from the pit of my stomach and I relaxed while she sat beside me grinning madly. She looked as dazed as I felt, for that had happened many times but I never lost myself like that before. It was exhilarating and I wanted more of it.

She put her legs around me again and kissed my neck, standing on the other side of the bed before I could pull her closer. "Come on, get dressed and come down, Alice is waiting with the camera people downstairs. Oh and Edward," she pulled me close when I stood up and stretched; her breasts pressed against my chest and her tongue licked across my earlobe, "I can't wait until we're married." And with that my jaw snapped open in bewilderment, and she skipped away from me, that sexy smirk on her full lips the entire way through the door.

After I collected the pieces of my jaw off the floor, I shook my head and headed to my bedroom to change into what Alice had laid across my bed. I assumed this was an engagement photo, being as Bella was actually wearing a dress and had her hair fixed, so I pulled on the jacket and trousers excitedly. That would mean that my parents called a photographer because they were alright with this, and wanted to announce the engagement formally. Sadly, that would bring more parties and unnecessary people, but Bella and I could sneak off and sit on the roof to watch everyone else mingle. I made sure my hair didn't look like I just rolled out of bed, and went down to see Bella smiling with Alice in the sitting room across from a man with a large camera.

"Where should we do this, then?" he asked, gesturing toward the camera, and I smirked.

"Well, if everyone is up for a bit of a walk, and that thing doesn't have to be plugged in, I've got just the spot," Bella flitted to my side eagerly and grasped my hand. We shared a soft peck on the lips as everyone changed out of their regular shoes and into something more suited for walking through the city.

Bella leaned on my shoulder on our way to the meadow, but we already knew exactly where it was, the other people didn't and the camera man huffed and puffed the entire way there. Finally, we stood just on the limits, when Bella spoke. "Okay, so this is our place, and we'd really like it to stay that way," Alice snorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Like anyone but you two freaks could ever find it again," she rolled her eyes, as did the camera man, but we all stepped through the branches, and the people who hadn't already been here gasped in astonishment. This place was the most beautiful thing in the city, and no one even knew it existed apart from Bella and I.

After the initial shock died down, the camera man began looking for the perfect place, but Bella already stood there with her little hand on one of the white tree trunks. "Perfect," he noticed her happy smile up toward the sky, "it has to be there."

Our family stood on the other side as Bella and I sat in the most natural way to us. This was the one place we didn't have to hide, and today was no exception to that rule. She was between my legs, lying on my chest with her hand through my hair, and I held her free hand in mine while we forgot the world around us. I pressed a kiss to her forehead when the man took the picture and Alice's delighted squeaky laughter broke us both from our trance. Bella sat up quickly, blushing because everyone, including my frigid father, was staring at us with warmth in their eyes.

"Amazing, you two should be freaking models or something!" Alice sighed in delight and the man agreed, unable to believe how natural we looked that way. It was comfortable to us and I assumed it always would be.

Everyone else started heading back, because they could hear the noise of cars on the road, but Bella and I stayed a bit longer. She took my hands in hers, and sighed as we plopped down into the soft grass around us. "Engaged at eighteen," she snorted, "the things my mother would say." I frowned. Eighteen wasn't an unusual age to get married at.

"What things would she say?" I smirked down at her, running my hands through her wild hair as she let it down from the pins.

She looked away from me, a nostalgic expression on her features as she imitated her mother's voice, "she'd say 'Isabella, you're too damn young to be getting married now! Don't you remember what getting married straight out of high school did to me and Charlie?' and when I'd say no, and she'd go on to explain how it was the kiss of death for their relationship." She fell on my chest with a sigh and I let my hands run across her smooth skin.

"I take it the women in your family don't marry unless they really love someone?" She poked her nose instead of speaking and I snickered quietly.

I brought her lips to mine shortly, tasting the sweetness of them before we parted. "I'm glad you love me enough to be mine forever," I whispered, not wanting to let words get in the way of the feelings we had all around us.

She kissed the side of my neck and I felt her smiling against my neck, "forever." We let the heavy word saturate the space around us, and it fit in with what I felt for her. Even after we died, I knew I'd always be here with her. Dead and gone, we'd both find each other in this meadow again. It was so peaceful it could have been heaven, but when we could hear people calling us, we knew it wasn't.

I sat up, bringing both of us back to the noisy world around us. "Come on love, we should get back before they try and find us, and end up getting lost out here," I sighed. She nodded and grabbed my hand as we pulled the branches away from the invisible entrance and stepped out. She jumped up on my back like she had done a few times when we wanted to come here, wrapped her little arms around my neck, kissed the spot below my ear, and sighed in my ear.

"Promise me that this will never change: no matter what?" I didn't understand the urgency in her voice, but that was one thing I could promise even without knowing the future. She would always be my Bella, and I would always be hers as well: no matter what.

I kissed her wrist and took in the soft perfume smell of her skin, "I promise you, my Bella. I will always be with you."

**A/N: Aw ;)**

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	14. After Dark

**Chapter Fourteen**

**After Dark**

**(Bpov)**

_July 25th, 1918_

_I find writing in this becoming harder to do. Edward and I have been so busy since we announced our engagement to the family (like they didn't already know). We began planning things, looking for a home to live in, and eventually we just left all of the wedding details to Alice. Because she loved them anyway and I trusted her. House hunting has been difficult as well, because honestly without the internet and just adds in the New York Post, it was impossible to find an apartment in New York. That and during the day Edward and I are separated by a wall because he's with his tutor then, Mrs...something or rather. She's a very cold woman, always glaring at me in the halls when she's here. It's weird, but somehow she reminds me of my mother. I miss him though, even when it's only for a few hours._

_Grandma Marie went back to New York after taking us to her favorite tavern in town to play poker and drink. If I didn't already love the woman, that night only confirmed it. She promised us she'd be back for the wedding because it wasn't ever day she saw her great, great granddaughter marry the man of her dreams._

_James got out of jail; don't ask me how, I don't really know the details. His dad being a lawyer and all knows certain people that could get him out. The only thing he did was make James swear not to come within twenty feet of me. It pissed Edward off so much he yelled at me for the first time. When I complained that this was borderline dangerous and seriously unfair, he called me a stupid girl who thought the world was perfect and needed to grow up. _

_So I slammed my door in his face and locked it, telling him he could come back when he learned how to speak like a human not an animal. He slept against my door that night, knocking and asking me to please let him in until I finally fell asleep. When I opened it in the morning he fell on his face, looking so confused that I couldn't possibly be angry at him anymore. He apologized left and right until I got fed up with it and kissed him, telling him if he said sorry again I was going to punch him in the nose._

_We're having a party right now, and I'm up in my bedroom because I'm avoiding the guests. There's a new girl in town named Victoria and she is OVERLY friendly with my Edward. Her and Jessica Stanley both irritate me beyond imagination. If I had a mind to I'd rip their fucking heads off and shove them up-_

My door opened, "my love, are you going to come back down?" Edward asked, looking extremely handsome in his suit with his shirt unbuttoned a bit. I shut the little book and walked over to him, flattening out my dark purple dress before my hands snaked around his neck. It was a party after all, so my pants were rendered useless, and Elizabeth insisted that I look like a lady because this was our engagement party.

"Yeah I was just writing," I explained, "how is it going? Are people completely wild and uncontrollable?" I joked, knowing from the sound of smooth jazz music downstairs that it was quite the opposite.

He wrapped his arms around my waist, "it's going as an engagement party should. The people are curious, anxious, and drinking away all of the liquor. But it's missing the beautiful bride to be beside her fiancé." He dipped his head down as he spoke and our lips met tenderly, creating that friction heat in my loins as it always did when we were close like this. I moaned lowly when he pulled me closer and I could fee every inch of him against me.

Someone cleared their throat behind us, and I flushed scarlet, hoping that it wasn't a guest. "You two should get back downstairs. We're making the announcement soon," Edward's father was smiling at us from the doorway.

Whatever words had been said between the two of them made everything a hundred times better. His father was kind to me, apologized for any past transgressions that were less than satisfactory, and made me feel welcomed here. He was a different man now, and I enjoyed him company very much.

Edward was adorable when he blushed, and I ran my hand across his cheek as he spoke. "Uh, yes, we'll be right there." Edward nodded, pleasing him enough to make him leave us be for a few more minutes.

Edward made sure he was already downstairs and came back to me, locked the door, and pressed me against it. I found myself kissing his lips, tugging at his shirt in hopes that it might come off, and groaning when he pressed his hard erection into me. Things had been getting very heated at night around here, and now I felt like we'd just stepped over that line of no return. His hands ran up my skirt, making me giggle, and he tickled my ribs on his way to my back. I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed his neck, biting down there to make him growl and shove me harder. I loved it when he was rough with me; it showed a more primal side of him that I adored.

I was in heaven...until he smiled against my lips, his movements halted he set me on my feet again, and calmed his dark eyes. "W-what? Why did you stop?" I gasped, finding my breath a few seconds after he'd already taken a step away from me.

"Because if I wouldn't have we'd be making love right now, and I want our first time to be special. Not upstairs where we can't let ourselves go because there's a party downstairs," he took me in his arms again and kissed down my neck sweetly, "I want to love you."

I blushed, "you know it's sweet things like that that make you perfect, Edward," I grabbed his hand, "come on, we might as well go tell everyone we plan to get married and keep all those sexy ladies off of you."

He rolled his eyes and captured my lips once more. "Silly girl."

"Sexy boy," I countered, just as we got to the foot of the stairs and everyone looked at us expectantly.

Edward took my hand and led me over to where his dad stood beside the fireplace, a drink in his hand, and it was like suddenly we were in front of everyone. I gulped, nervous about speaking in front of the crowd. Victoria was glaring, Jessica was sneering, and many other girls invited looked at me with disdain. Seriously, was I _that _bad? Did I look so horrible next to him? I thought we looked good together, but then I might have just been distracting my thoughts from what he was about to say and imagining the looks of indignation.

I took the time he spent explaining that he wanted to announce it to look around. It was a very nice party, but I couldn't help but want to just be with Alice, maybe Rose if Emmett would let her, Edward, and Jasper somewhere where we could laugh and joke with each other. I was tired of sophistication, but apparently we needed to announce our wedding to the entire neighborhood so boys and girls wouldn't come calling on us. That was the only good part about this. At least there would be no women all over my Edward.

"We've called you all here tonight to celebrate something very special to Bella and I," Edward started, looking down at me with a big goofy smile on his lips. I knew that everyone would immediately assume that I was with child, but the love in his eyes made me forget that for a moment and just believe that people really got married at eighteen because they were in love.

"She's pregnant..."I heard someone whisper and I snorted at the accusation. Did people back in this time seriously think I couldn't hear what they said in a room that only fit about twenty people? Ignorance was bliss, I supposed.

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at the stupid blonde girl. "No, I'm not pregnant," I glared right at Jessica, for she had said it, and a few of the other guests chuckled at my stubborn frown. "Edward has asked me to marry him." There were a few gasps, but a lot more smiles.

He nodded when a few people smiled and wrapped an arm around my middle from behind me. "And she's said yes." They all applauded and Elizabeth tried to hold in her beam of satisfaction; they all seemed to understand, unlike they had done when the confusion with Lauren ensued, and they actually looked very happy,

"So to honor it, you are all invited to the wedding on September twenty-first. Alice has made invitations that you'll get when you're heading home. So, please enjoy the party and thank you all for coming." Such a gentleman my Edward was, always opening his heart and smile to these people who he barely knew. I kissed his lips when everyone went back to enjoying the lovely party Alice and Elizabeth had set up, and he spun me around in his arms carefully.

He set me down, but the same dazed look was in his eyes as our stares didn't falter. "I love you," he whispered, like it was the first time he'd ever thought of saying it. He was even frowning as his hand ran down my cheek and rested on the spot just above my heart. He looked awestruck, almost bewildered, and I kissed him before he could regret saying it.

"I love you too." I sighed as my head fell against his chest and he swayed with me to the beautiful music. I could feel eyes on me, and when I peeked out I almost sighed in frustration.

"So," Victoria interrupted the swaying of our bodies and we spun around to see her standing there indignantly. "I guess that means you're stuck with this ugly woman for the rest of your life. We could have had so many fun nights, Edward. Such a shame." She raised an eyebrow and I narrowed my eyes. I pulled away from his grasp and glared at her.

"Bella, she's not worth it," Edward begged and I held up a hand when she rolled her eyes and scoffed at me; she was trying to look big in front of her friends, "oh this is going to end badly..." he sighed, standing back to let me fight my own battle with an expectant scowl on his face.

I poked her chest, pushing her back with the force in it. "Stay the fuck away from my man. Why would he want a bitchy firecrotch like you anyway? Go away," I shook my head when her mouth dropped open, but when I turned around she whipped me around with a grimace on her face.

"What did you call me?" I could hear the spite in her words, and they made me snort in amusement. She was trying to intimidate me, and that wasn't ever gonna work.

I rolled my eyes at the righteous bitch. "A firecrotch. It means-"

Edward cut in when my hand twitched. "Uh, you know what Bells? I think my mother is calling us. Excuse us Victoria, so glad you could come." He only cut in because he knew I would rip her head off.

His arms were around my waist as he dragged me away from trouble as always and I went limp in his arms. It was then that I realized we were going away from the party. We were in the beautifully lit backyard, passing Mr. Masen and his friends on the back patio. It was a warm night, warmer than many nights here, and surprisingly not windy.

I tugged on his hand and he looked over at me. "Where are we going love? I promise I won't be rude again...unless she provokes me." I smirked up at him innocently and he poked my nose before tasting my lips.

He let me go when we were with Alice and Jasper. He held up a little bag full of something unidentifiable, and handed me a jar of moonshine. I thanked him as I took a big gulp. I was seriously used to the burn in my throat by now, and welcomed it. It was better than being in there, suffocating in the hatred and silenced jealousy. I breathed in the cool night air, leaned into my Edward and loved the peace in the gardens around us.

"We're just going to the real party, Bells." When I frowned and looked around our small group of friends, Jasper spoke up.

He lit something that definitely didn't _smell_ like a cigarette, and made me smirk at both of them. "This is the party, girl, not in that big house with all those crazy Northerners and their contemporary piano jazz," Jasper rolled his eyes and threw me a pair of trousers, "go behind the bushes with Alice and change. We're going someplace real quick," he grinned, making my eyes narrow in suspicion.

Alice grabbed my hand and we undressed behind a few trees in the forest behind their house. It was so odd that we were doing this, and I still didn't understand what the hell was going on, but right now I felt like we were camping more than living in the past. It seemed too weird to throw my dress into the bushes along with Alice's. "What are we doing Ally?" I wondered as I button up the pants and we both headed toward where the boys were.

She didn't give me an answer and just pointed to where Edward stood beside Jasper. He had a cigarette lit, something I had never seen before, and he handed it to me. I had to say, I loved the bad boy side I was seeing of my fiancé. I kissed his lips, greedily taking his tongue in my mouth and tasting the exotic tobacco on his breath.

"Ready?" Alice asked, and when I handed the home-rolled cigarette back to Edward, I nodded. Jasper grabbed a small box of moonshine in jars, shoved his baggies inside of it, and we all crossed the street stealthily. We were going to the park – at eight at night so we could drink and party alone?

"I love you guys, this has to be the best idea all night," I laughed, getting a nod from Alice. She grabbed one of the bags and rolled the green but inconspicuously.

"Alice," I took her hand, "isn't that seriously wrong here?" I whispered, looking over at Jasper and Edward who were both sitting in the grass, looking at the stars with their mouths hanging open.

She rolled her eyes and pulled out some matches, "Bella, no one really knows about this stuff yet. Come on, it's your bachelorette party sped up a few months because we don't do that here. At least not with my mother," she chortled after taking one long hit off the joint.

I grabbed it from her, brought it to my lips, and imitated her actions, feeling lighter with every pass of it. It tasted like...pineapples, and that was a good thing. We were giggling while she chased me to the swings and I fell over on it, laughing loudly as Edward stumbled to help me off my ass in the sand.

"I'm cool, I'm cool." I laughed, putting my arms around his neck; maybe it was the moonlight, but his green eyes were shining and his pale face looked heavenly right now. "Mmm you are one sexy dude, Edward." I whispered loudly, making Alice cackle beside me.

He rolled his eyes, obviously not understanding my words, but he seemed to chuckle with me anyway. Alice kissed my cheek when we were sitting together on the swings, and we swayed with the wind. Had the night always been so pretty here? Did the trees always look so...defined and green?

Edward murmured something and Jasper nodded, looking at both of us hopelessly. "Lightweights. You have two joints and you're off your minds, totally wasted." Edward snickered when my brow creased at Jasper's accusation, but Alice started singing a very familiar song to me and my mind was suddenly thrust back into my own time.

"_I said Colt 45, and two zigzags, baby that's all we need_," Alice started, twirling around in the swing and nearly shouting the words at me.

I loved my sister for bringing back the memories of our last summer in Forks, getting drunk in the parks and sleeping there over night. Good times that would never be forgotten, but would always be regretted.

Edward and Jasper both laughed at how stupid we both looked, practically lying on our backs on the swings, "_we can go to the park, after dark, smoke that tumbleweed!_" I shouted back at her after the lyrics broke through my hazy mind, and I fell into the sand again, cradling the bottle of moonshine in my hands.

Edward picked me up then, letting me hum the rest of the rap song to myself as he carried me toward a tree not far from the swings. He wrapped his coat around my shoulders, and I thanked him before trying to take another drink of my second jar.

"I think you've had quite enough my love," he sighed, ever the responsible one. He took the jar from me and I let go of it willingly in the hopes that he might drink some more and lose control with me.

"And I think you need a little bit more. Come on Edward, let go with me. Drink, smoke, have fun," I kissed the spot below his ear as he drank the clear liquid; "we don't have to be responsible _every_ night..."

I trailed off when his eyes darkened. I wasn't very clear on what was going on around us, but I could hear Jasper chasing Alice around the field, and I could feel Edward's hot breath against my neck as he kissed and licked my cool skin. It felt so much better than it usually did, sending fire and wetness down to my panties, but when I expected him to pull away, he went further.

His warm hands trailed down my chest, rubbing the hard nipples he found there. He hissed when I nipped at his lower lip, and ravished me with his tongue. Finally, I had the side of Edward I always wanted. My hands ran into his shirt, popping the buttons open on my way, and his went to mine, feeling my uncovered breasts greedily. I moaned into his mouth, feeling his excitement pressed up against me as I straddled his hips.

"More," I begged, hoping he would finally give in, "please, Edward." I gasped when his hands roamed over my ass and he squeezed it hard. His lips met my nipples through the cloth and I arched my back into his touch.

"Let's get out of here," he growled, picking me up in his arms after he'd thrown the jar into the bushes.

His lips only left mine as he crept through the dark house, cleaned of all the party supplies, and we made it to my room, kissing and touching each other once more. His hands ran down my pants and into my panties, rubbing across my slick folds, and my hand gripped his thick erection through his jeans. I was shoved on the bed, him on top of me as piece by piece of our clothing was lost. I gasped, begging for more as his hands ran down my body. His lips were fire, his touches were heaven, his tongue was all the lust pent up in our bodies, and I shut my eyes when I heard a zipper steadily come undone.

**A/N: Song was Crazy Rap by AfroMan**

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	15. The Lake

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Lake**

**(Epov)**

I watched her eyes flutter closed when she heard the sound of me unzipping my pants I felt her little arms snake around my neck. I was so ready for this, so ready to have her as mine; all I needed was a bit of liquid confidence. "My Edward," she sighed, biting her lip with a shy smile on her lips.

"I love you," I whispered, kissing the hollow of her neck. She gasped and let her hands fall to her sides and ran through her hair. I'd never seen anything so sensual in my life.

But when her legs fell from their position around me, I stopped all my movements. "Bella?" I whispered, pushing against her and kissing her cheek.

She sighed, but pulled me closer, and I shook my head with an ironic smirk on my lips. She was asleep. I chuckled, covered her with the blankets, successfully got away from her grasp, and held her body close to mine. She cuddled into my hold, pushing her small hips into mine in the most tempting way. I glared at my erection, narrowing my eyes when she moaned my name in her sleep. Nope. Nothing.

"Come on, please?" I laughed, feeling stupid for talking to it if it certainly couldn't hear me. God I felt like Emmett.

But it worked; my body relaxed, letting my hazy mind try and forget that this had ever happened. I buttoned up the buttons on her shirt and made sure she was comfortable before I settled beside her again. I couldn't believe how far we'd almost gone. I felt her with my hands, tasted the skin of her breasts, and felt that undeniable need for more already. I beat back the feelings with a stick though because I was drunk, on booze, on love, it didn't matter. That's not how I wanted this to be.

She whispered my name again, making my heart beat faster, and my arms pull her closer. "I'm here Bella," I promised, kissing her cheek while my vision started to get blurry, and I fell into the same unconscious state she was in.

I could feel that it had been a long time since I moved my arms, and when Bella's soft voice came through my black sleep, I knew it was morning. "Mmm Edward?" Bella whispered, waking me from my dreamless slumber, only to bring me back into the world of hangovers and entirely too much sunlight.

I cringed when the sound of the curtains sliding across the metal rod sounded much louder than I knew it was. Her footsteps sounded like bombs going off in my ears, but I ignored it as best I could and concentrated on trying to rub the sleep from my eyes. She apologized when it was dark, and came back to lie beside me in the warm bed. I could feel her eyes on my face, and when I opened my own, she was staring at me nervously. "Did we...?"

Frowning, I brought her closer to me and kissed away her worry. I didn't know what she meant, but I had a pretty good idea, "did we what, my love?" I asked as I closed my eyes again and tried to get comfortable.

She chuckled and ran her hand across my face, successfully disturbing the comfort I had just gotten into. "Did we have sex last night? Please say no because I don't remember, and that is one of the few things in my life I do want to recall the morning after it happens," she sighed anxiously while she waited for my answer. It made me smile that she wanted to remember me, that she even wanted me that way at all, and I tried my best to ease her worry. I did remember everything that happened because I wasn't the one to fall asleep.

We were both so high and drunk last night that I barely remembered anything that happened before it, but I definitely remember coming up here and having her fall asleep on me. "As much as I wanted to last night, no, we didn't have sex. You fell asleep right as I undid my pants," I chortled. I'd seen her blush before, but this time it was different. She looked almost purple with embarrassment.

"I am..._so_ sorry Edward, I didn't-"

I put a finger to her lips, "don't be sorry, my Bella. I'm glad it didn't happen that way. I want our first time to be because out of love, not because both of us are too horny to keep on living if we don't," I assured her and when she smiled I kissed her forehead.

"What about Alice and Jasper? Did they ever make it home you think?" she grumbled, cringing at the volume of her voice. I was glad I wasn't the only one to feel the repercussions of last night in giant waves of regret, accompanied by a dull ache in the back of my skull.

I shrugged when she made me roll over on my back, and curled into my side with her leg laced through mine. "I don't really know. I assume they did because it's noon and mother hasn't woken us asking where they are." She sighed, nodding her head after a few moments.

Jasper and his 'Magical Green Hawaiian Tobacco': we both knew that was an outrageous lie, and if my father found out I'd been smoking the green stuff he'd surely kill me, but I didn't regret celebrating with her the way we did. A way so very traditional to my Bella, well except the marijuana. If this was what it felt like to wake up after drinking and smoking illegal substances, I may have had to give it up already.

She nudged me with her nose, getting my attention away from my scattered thoughts for a few moments. "I love you." I love how soft her voice became when she said that. Even though I knew it already it was nice to hear it.

I kissed her head, adoringly. "I love you too, sweetheart," I situated her so she was lying in my arms in the same way, but I was curved so our bodies fit together like two pieces of the same puzzle, "now, let's get some sleep; I'm fucking tired."

Within a few hours, Bella and I had slept away the pain inside of our heads and had wandered downstairs when our stomachs begged us for food. There was a note on the cooler, leaving me very suspicious as to why we saw no one and heard no one around the house during this time of day. Emmett should have at least been up with Rosalie by now.

_Kids,_

_Grandma Eugenia has fallen ill. Your father and I are going to Fort Wayne for the weekend to make sure she's alright. There's food in the refrigerator and clean laundry in the hamper. If you need anything we left your car keys in the drawer beside the sink._

_Alice and Jasper have decided to stay with his parents for the weekend. Emmett and Rosalie are around town looking for a home, and shouldn't be around the house to bother you until Monday when everyone returns._

_Love you both,_

_Mom_

I pulled the note off the door and showed it to my Bella as she bit into a piece of toast. While she read it I took one for myself and sat beside her against the counter. She smiled as she read it, obviously as excited as I was that we were alone for the entire weekend. I was already going over plans in my mind when she spoke, "so what do you want to do?" Her voice was very suggestive and it made me smirk, but I denied her lusty requests halfheartedly.

"Not make love for the next two days." My manhood twitched at the idea and I shook my head to clear the thoughts; this woman was making me insane with her insatiable appetite for all things that were almost going too far to take back. There was an idea brewing in my mind, but we'd have to bring Alice and Jasper back so they could watch the house. They would pounce on the idea of being alone in this big house overnight, and not even ask me why.

"I've got an idea," I found my voice raspy as she moved her full pink lips to my jaw, "if you're willing to go somewhere and camp for the night."

That made her smile wicked and her eyes narrow in jubilant suspicion. "Where could we camp for the night? The backyard?" she laughed, and when I nodded she seemed amused. It was then that I knew she didn't understand how big the back yard was. There was a reason you couldn't see a home behind ours.

"Trust me it'll be so far from the house you'll feel like we're out in the woods. It's by a lake my dad had made when we moved in. There's a perfect camping spot, we can swim, fish, whatever you'd like." I loved how her smile seemed so far away, and my anxious hope for her answer was ended shortly.

"When can we leave?"

Alice and Jasper came home shortly after that, claiming that Alice saw that we needed her. I loved my sister, but her strange theories of being clairvoyant and sensitive all seemed like serious crap to me. I was pretty open minded, but seeing the future? Traveling through time in your mind? It made me snort and roll my eyes. Whatever made Alice come home, I was glad for it, because I wanted to spend what was left of the day with her. There were so few occasions where we were truly alone, not to be disturbed, and I wanted more of them.

Alice stopped me as I changed into my favorite old pants and a button up shirt that had seen its fair share of hard days. "This is what you've been looking for," she handed me a few sheets of music I'd written up weeks ago, "and you say my sight is useless. This is perfect, trust me. It'll make her cry – in a good way." I didn't understand that, but usually Alice wasn't wrong with these kinds of things, so I folded it up and stuck it in my back pocket unnecessarily. I loved playing this song, and had become quiet attached to it, for it reminded me of my Bella. I grabbed my guitar after seeing that these were acoustic lyrics and let it fall across my back.

Bella had packed a bag of food for tonight. I told her we'd only need a few hot dogs, some marshmallows, and the tent that was already in my overnight bag, so she didn't do much. I brought extra blankets and a few pillows because it could get cold and I didn't want either of us to freeze out there. She was dressed in those sexy pants, looking ravishing with her hair loosely in a tied up hanging across one of her shoulders. She grinned when she saw me and we shared a simple kiss in the middle of the kitchen.

"Ready?" I wondered when we parted and she nodded against my chest.

She tied her boots a little bit tighter and looked at me very seriously, "if this at all involves hiking, I am going to be useless," she warned. I snorted, biting back my laughter at her seriously uncoordinated walk.

"Would I let you fall my love?" She shook her head no; "of course not. It's only a few miles in the woods and it's pretty flat all the way there. I promise if complications arise, I will be there to pick you up and carry you." She seemed to mull over the possibilities, and obviously agreed, because she pulled me out into the back yard. We unhooked Rufus and let him come with us to the camping spot down further away from the fenced part of the yard.

"How does your dad own all of this land?" she wondered after a few moments of comfortable silence. As I suspected, the ground was very flat here and it was easy to walk at a calm pace and hold hands.

I looked over at her, "well, this land used to belong to my great, great grandfather Edward. When he died, my father sold a lot of it so the neighborhood could be constructed. He kept this though because he used to come out here with Emmett and I during the summer. We'd go camping and hiking and swimming in the lake, but that was so long ago. Now I'm the only one that comes out here anymore, with Emmett being engaged and all and father busier than ever at the business," I explained with my heart hanging at the happy memories. I hoped this place would give her all the happy memories it gave me all those years ago.

I held her over a fallen tree, touching the smooth skin of her waist when her shirt rose a little. She smirked and swatted my hands away when they traveled upward. We continued our slow pace. "This place reminds me a lot of a small town I used to go to with my dad in the summer – it was a small town called Forks in Washington State and it was beautiful. Magical, even. The trees danced when we'd pass, the ocean sang its own song as it beat against the cliffs, but more than that, I could always remember my dad smoking a pipe with his friend Billy at the end of the day. We'd go fishing in the lake and sometimes in the ocean when we'd go up on the cliffs and look down." I squeezed her hand when those sad brown eyes came back, and my lips met her cheek. She smiled, but I could still see a faraway grief in her eyes. Forks sounded wonderful; I wanted to take her back one day and create our own happy memories of the place.

"Do you miss him?" I asked, hoping it didn't offend her.

She nodded thoughtfully, "sometimes. A smell, sometimes a place, and sometimes it's a certain thing that always brings me back to memories with him. Like when Frankie and I would go see the fourth of July fireworks down at the beach, I could always see myself sitting on my dad's shoulders when I was about eight years old. He'd always say, 'look Bells! The show's gonna start! You better look up!' and I would, then I'd hear the booming sound before I could see the colors in the sky." Her voice was happy as she remembered it, and it made me smile to see her that way. I never heard her talk about her mother, so the woman must have been wretched, but her father was definitely a man I wished I could meet. I wrapped her up in my arms, kissed her shoulder as we continued our slow pace.

"I'm sorry for asking."

She shook her head and wiped away a few tears, "don't be. I love talking about my dad. He was the only good thing I had in my childhood. Anyway, enough of the pity party," I loved how easily she could change the subject off of more melancholy topic. "Are we there yet? I swear my feet are gonna start bleeding."

"Oh don't be so dramatic."

We walked up a few more small hills, turned at the fork in the trail, and I could hear the waves gently lapping at the sandy shore a few hundred feet ahead of us. Her eyes were no longer sad, and her smile was more excited when she could smell the water basking in the sun. "We're here," I stated, pointing to the break in the trees, "it's just there."

The sun was shining, and it was blistering as we breached the tree line and braved the sandy beach. It wasn't a big lake and the forest hid it very well from sight, but she seemed captivated by it. I hoped this reminded her somewhat of the small town in Washington she spoke of. She took her shoes off immediately and let her toes run through the warm sand before she turned to me. "It's beautiful here – totally worth the bleeding toes."

I rolled my eyes, but found myself being pushed down into the sand when I took the pack off my shoulders. She sat on my back with her legs on either side of me, giggling because the force of her jump had knocked me over. I grumbled as I turned and saw her beautiful face twisted in joy before her lips came down and met mine. My hand cupped her cheek when I sat up and held her close to me.

"Let me set up the tent before the sun goes down," I whispered in her ear when she was distracted by the way the purple and red sky danced across the soft blue waves. The tent assembly wasn't complicated, but the only part that got a bit tricky was making sure it stood the force of the wind. I'd never had the problem before, so I didn't see why I would now. When I went to start the fire, I saw that Bella had gone to stand ankle deep in the water, her pants rolled up past her knees in the most tempting way.

She was lost in thought, though. Her deep eyes were so far away it made me wonder where she went when she seemed to think so hard about something. I turned my sight away from the beautiful woman standing in the lake as the sun set and back to the spark I'd gotten lit. The dry brush caught quickly, so I wandered away from the sandy pit and over to my Bella. I rolled my pants up to my knees as well and stood beside her in the cool water. When my fingers slid across her skin she sighed and leaned into me.

"I love it here. We have to come back sometime," she smiled up at me. I kissed her lips after agreeing, and pulled her a bit deeper into the water.

"I was hoping after dinner we could go for a swim," I requested. It was a hot day and I assumed the night would carry the same sticky humidity.

She nodded, and while she was looking across the water, I bent down and picked her up in my arms. She seemed to expect that was coming, and wrapped her arms around my shoulders while we looked into each other's eyes. I carried her back to shore and she sat in my lap beside the warm fire. I stuck a hot dog for her and she placed it in the fire beside mine. It wasn't camping without hot dogs and marshmallows, that was for sure.

"Don't you just love how easy it is to be out here – without a sense of time or place?"

It was getting dark by the time we finished, and we were lying across each other in the sand, looking at the unobstructed stars. I'd been playing soft minuets in the night and all but ignored the sheet music in my back pocket. I sat up and came with me, curiously looking around as the various papers I put in the fire. I memorized it by now, with my insane worrying that she might not like it. Damn Alice and her vague predictions.

I didn't speak, just went into the first verse, hoping my fingers could remember the positions as her brow creased. Of course she wouldn't know it if I'd written it for her. "It's called Bella's Lullaby." Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open with a very audible pop.

I just hoped the sweet sound would make her see a beautiful girl that looked so lost, a sad boy humbled by her love as he tried to make everything better, like it did for me. Her brown eyes were so deep it made me insane trying to hear whatever she was thinking past them. I wanted to know her love, her trouble, her everything, and this song showed all my vulnerability in a verse. I hoped she could hear it, but I was too nervous to look away from my fingers and into those big eyes.

When I strummed the last note, my damn curiously won out over the cowardice. I sighed because there were tears down her cheeks. Great. It was so bad it made her cry. "I-I'm sorry, I wrote it for you a while ago and never have the chance to play it-"

She stooped my rambling by putting her fingers to my lips, taking my hand, and sliding over into my lap Her lips met mine and I found myself frowning into the kiss. I was unable to understand anything that was going on, and when her little tongue begged for entrance at my lips, I had to ask. "So, you, you don't hate it?" I whispered.

She laughed loudly, shaking her head in the process. She pushed my chest down and was soon lying on top of me with her hand on my cheek. "Edward, you are so stupid sometimes. I loved it," she explained, clearing up everything as she took my lips again.

I groaned when her hips rolled down on me, exciting parts of me that could lead to many bad things, but I couldn't bring myself to care. My hands ran through her hair and pulled her closer, letting my tongue dance with hers docilely. My hands ran up her back, scratching the skin I found there. It made her gasp and bite down on my shoulder, but I liked the way it felt. She pulled away from me, unbuttoning her shirt to expose the creamy white skin of her chest. She put my hands on her breasts as she leaned down and spoke very gently in my ear. My eyes must have been bugging out of my head. The soft rasping of her voice was so seductive I couldn't say no.

"I think I'm ready for that swim."

**A/N:**

**:) Review it :D**


	16. Remembering

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Remembering**

**(Bpov)**

"Come on Edward, don't be a baby." I called over to where he was standing, good five or six feet away from me on the shore. He looked incredibly nervous, which was understandable because until I got into the water and threw my underwear by the rest of my clothes, he was all too eager to swim with me. So he could sing me the most beautiful lullaby one minute, but not get naked and dance with me in the water the next?

I could see him gulp and open his mouth a few times when I covered my nipples with my hair and stood up to my waist in the water with my hands on my hips. He stammered a few times before he finally found his voice. "What?" he asked me, like he was seriously confused. It was funny to see him so stunned by me being naked in front of him, even if he couldn't see anything, because I knew I wasn't much to look at, but he loved me so that didn't matter.

"Come here," I demanded again, biting my lip when he tossed his shirt to the side quickly. He threw his pants away as well and came to my side quickly, wincing at the cool temperature around us. I did notice he was still wearing his boxers and when I came closer to him his eyes were glued on the pale skin of my stomach and chest. He couldn't see anything because my wet hair was draped across my breasts like some weird mermaid fantasy. I smirked at the stupid thoughts going through my mind and placed my hand his pale chest, right over his heart.

"I-I've never done anything like this before," he confessed, smiling as his cheeks heated up and he looked down into the black water around us. He took my hand off his chest, put it on his cheek, kissed my palm, and pulled my body close to him. It sent fire to my veins to have my head rest on his chest and have the rest of my body pressed up against his completely. I could feel him come alive when I placed a soft kiss to his neck and stood on my top toes in the smooth sand.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and his circled my waist to pull me to him with irresistible force. My fingers played with the small hairs on the back of his neck and I kissed his cheek before I made a confession of my own. "Neither have I." My voice was soft and he seemed to believe me because he looked into my eyes somewhat shocked.

"You've never? I mean, I'm sorry I just assumed-" he was stumbling and trying to make it better, but I really didn't mind. I was a party person, and in this time that usually meant the woman wasn't a virgin.

I kissed his lips to stop the rambling, and shook my head. "No, don't be sorry, love. I know it seems like I would have done much crazier things than this, but never," I laughed when he smirked down at me, "this is even my first time skinny dipping." We both snickered and faced what was really happening. We were nearly naked in a lake, a few miles away from civilization, and both of us were hornier than ever before. Maybe the full moon rising above us and the gentle push and pull of the water could bring him to my level and we'd get a bit hotter than touches and moaning.

We held me for a few more seconds before one of his arms reached between us and he threw his boxers to the shore along with the rest of our clothes. I felt him pressing against me when I wrapped my legs around his waist and he pulled me into a little deeper water. His hands met my hips and he held back what sounded like an almost predatory growl from deep in his chest. His eyes were black as coal, and I was sure mine were the same in this moonlight. I felt lust bubbling in my stomach and it passed my lips when they met his in heated bliss. It was electric and made my body come alive with every touch after it. His hands roamed my back, racked across my hips, and pulled me closer when they rounded my butt.

I could feel his name in a moan when his erection rubbed against my sex, and my fingers dug into his back as it came out. He gave me a devilish grin and ran his lips up and down my jaw line, breathing unevenly when my hands roamed down his strong chest and down below his belly button. I toyed with the short line of hair that led downward and he looked into my eyes, cupping one of my cheeks in his hand. "Are you sure you're ready? Not just for this...but for it all?"

I nodded, blushing when his smile grew. "I'm ready to be with you forever," I whispered, "and in every way – but are you?" I felt self-consciousness creeping up my spine, but he eased it quickly.

"How could I not be ready for our life to being Bella? You're the most beautiful, selfless, and caring woman I've ever met," he promised, making my cheeks rage scarlet, "and not to mention you're the only girl that could drink me under the table ten times over." I pushed him playfully, but I didn't let him go as we both smiled up at each other.

We swayed together in the cool water, our lips attached as we let our bodies sing a song that only they knew the words to, and he carried me back to shore, away from dying the fire, and into the warmth of the tent and his sleeping bag.

My hands traced his body as he touched and kissed almost every part of mine. My mind blurred on the edges when he slid his hand past my hips and ran his fingers across the slick skin of my core. I gasped and found my own hands running down his toned body slowly. He growled my name when my fingers gripped his thick length in my hands, and he rolled us to one side to hold me closer to his body. I could feel him between my legs, and that's when a smirk came to my lips. It was dark in here, only lit by the dim fire outside, but he saw it and before he could ask, I grabbed the base and ran him across my sex tantalizingly.

He groaned loudly and gripped my breasts roughly as he rolled on top of me, a grin on his lips. "You're going to make me insane aren't you?"

"You know it baby," I giggled at his very out of place futuristic speaking and his eyes narrowed. He growled in my ear again and pulled me on top of him with a wide smile. I felt him press into me and we continued into the heated bliss of love passionately.

I gasped as I woke in a cold sweat, safe in Edward's warm naked arms. I looked around and sighed out loud. I just had the worst nightmare of my life, so terrible I didn't even want to think about it ever again. I looked at Edward and saw he was still indeed lying beside me with a peaceful smile on his full lips, and that was all I needed for now. He was here. Beside me. Nothing had changed.

I fell back into the soft blankets and it felt like I'd been asleep for a long time. We hadn't gone looking for our clothes last night after the skin-on-skin contract, and I could still feel the heat of his nude body radiating around the blankets. It was so comfortable that I didn't want to move, but I knew from the slit in the tent and the position of the sun in the sky, that it was noon now. If Jasper and Alice hadn't already started hiking out here to see if we were okay, they'd be on their way soon.

Discreetly, I slipped away from his hold without waking him and kissed his forehead softly before making my way out to where my clothes were. Thankfully they weren't wet so getting dressed wasn't going to be an issue. I didn't know if Edward packed more things for himself, so I grabbed his as well and set them down inside of the tent. It was morning and I was in the mood for coffee so I grabbed a pot from the bag, the coffee beans, and a few sheets of paper towels. It was only a matter of getting the fire going, and by the time I was pouring the boiling water through the paper towel and into a cup, Edward had woken.

I handed him a cup when he sat behind me on the wide log and pulled me into his arms. "Thanks love," he smiled as he took it from me and kissed my cheek as I prepared another.

There was a comfortable silence around us, interrupted occasionally by the break of a wave or the chirp of a songbird in the trees. It was...peaceful. Very calm and sweet. "I think I like it out here," I admitted when he'd finished humming my lullaby lowly in my ear.

"Me too. When I was planning on living in Chicago, I thought of building a cabin out here and creating a road behind the house so I could go to and from work," he explained to me and the better part of me wanted that for us. I could see us living out here in the beautiful woods, so much like Forks and the place where I crashed my bike on my way to get to my Edward.

I nodded and looked up at his nonbelligerent eyes. "I'd like that Edward. If you still want to live here I could see it. We can play music on the weekends...maybe open our own bar in town to pay the bills."

He smiled, plainly painting the same picture in his mind that I was. We'd make our lives here, right here between the tall pines that formed a perfect circle just beside the lake. "That sounds...perfect," he sighed, nodding toward the same area my eyes were trained on, "I'll tell my father and we'll start construction soon...if you're alright giving up living in the big city." He back tracked and I shook my head.

"I am absolutely ready to give that up for this. I want forever with you and it doesn't matter where we are," my sigh was shaky, and I hoped he didn't notice it. This was the first time we'd actually talked about moving our relationship further than sneaking into each other rooms, and I could help but pray to whatever gods that controlled time to keep my here with my Edward forever.

It was Sunday and even thought his parents said they wouldn't be back until tomorrow we wanted to be home tonight. Edward said it wasn't safe to travel when it was dark because these woods all looked the same when it was black outside and I understood that. They looked the same to me during the day, what the hell chance would I have at night?

I grabbed his hands and unbuttoned my jeans slowly when he looked up at me curiously. "Before we go home I really think I wanna go for another swim," I laughed out loud when his eyes widened and his hands fell to my hips beneath my shirt.

"Alright then."

I loved that I was allowed to let my hair down and not care if someone saw me in my underwear in a bra for a few hours while I lied on my back in the cool water. Edward came to me a few hours later, telling me I didn't get out we wouldn't make it back to the house in time. I was tempted to stay right where I was. I loved it here now and didn't really want to go back to our old lives, but that wasn't going to happen right now.

I looked at him when my feet touched the soft sand beneath my feet. "Promise me we can come back soon," I whispered as he stood right in front of me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

His lips touched mine sweetly, and I felt his eyes already saying we'd be back before I knew it. "Of course, my Bella. Soon," he wrapped his arms around me when we were out of the water and we looked at the woods, "we'll wake up every morning and watch the sun rise over the water. And I'll love you every day we live – no matter the place."

I kissed his cheek and held in the happy tears; I didn't want to explain to him that I was letting my old life go and embracing this one wholeheartedly now. There were so many things I wished I could have had in that life, but as more days passed it seemed like a dream to me. I still thought of my big brother, and hoped he was alright. That somehow this situation would be erased from his mind like a bad dream and he'd never have to worry about me again. Because we would never see each other again.

"We should be heading back my love. There are some clean clothes in the bag for you." He let me go loosely, as if he didn't really want to break whatever thoughts were running through his mind, and I went to change behind a tree while he took down our little camp. It was nearing three in the afternoon, which meant we had a good three more hours to get back home before it was dark. It was sad to say that things in the big Masen house would never be the same between Edward and I. After what we had last night I could only think that they would be much better. Quieter for sure, but still good.

When I came out, in my boots with some new pants and a shirt on, Edward already had the bag packed and was putting out the fire with a pot of water from the lake. He smiled when I came over and took a few things from his hands, leaving them able to help me through the dense forest. "Ready?" I asked this time, nodding my head in the direction of the trail we'd come in on. When he nodded and took my hand in his, we walked very close beside each other when we went into the deep woods around us. I couldn't hear the steady break of small waves on the shore after a few minutes and knew that our time alone really was up for now.

What we didn't expect to see was Alice, stomping in our direction ten minutes into the walk, a look of worry on her features. "Oh good, you're on your way home." she exhaled in relief and called Jasper to where we stood a few paces in front of us. He ran over, a smile on his lips when we gave pleasantries. I always liked Jasper; he was a gentleman, but wild at nature. I could see us being good friends in this time and any other.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, because we were fairly close to the house now. She was smirking, looking at both of us like we'd just hit the jackpot.

"Mom and dad have decided to stay in Fort Wayne for an entire week because grandfather has fallen and cracked his hip. Not that that's a good thing," she corrected quickly, "but it means we all have some time alone, so I'm staying with Jazzy for the week." She smiled and bit her lip when Jasper gave her a devious grin.

I could only imagine the things that would go on in Jasper's family plantation a few miles out of town this week. "And?" Edward pressed, looking at her curiously. Obviously that wasn't news enough and she could have left a note, so why did she insist on meeting us in the woods when it was almost nightfall? We were close by the house now, and since we had started walking I could see the white third floor in the distance, peeking through the trees.

"And we're leaving tonight, but I've been talking to my Jazz and we're going to have a masked party there next Friday. I'm inviting everyone, of course, so Bella and I need to go shopping. Most conveniently tomorrow." I paled when she squeaked and Edward laughed at my hopeless expression.

There were many things I would rather do than go shopping with Alice. Like getting bit by a dog with rabies and turning into a zombie, or finally imploding because Edward's pushed me over the edge. "Alice, I really don't want to go-"

"Why not?" But it was Edward speaking, not my annoying pixie of a sister. He looked down at me, frowning with a smirk on his full lips. We were nearing the house so he took the things out of my hands and slung the bag off his shoulders before I responded.

I shrugged, "I don't know...will there be alcohol?" I laughed, looking over at Jasper's mischievous smile. When he nodded it was settled: I'd go if Edward wanted to take me as his date...even if that meant going shopping with Alice.

"Alright then," Edward rubbed his hands together and unlocked the back door, "I'm gonna make dinner. Are you guys staying?"

"If you're cooking absolutely," Alice seemed to almost drool at the thought and it was then that I realized I'd never tasted anything Edward had made. If it made Alice's stomach rumble that meant it had to be good. Jasper followed Alice into the big white kitchen while I took the bag from Edward's hands.

He looked at me with a question on his lips that I already knew the answer to. "I'm gonna head up and unpack everything – maybe write a little bit in my journal." I really needed to get the images of last night out of my mind, now that they had been brought up to the surface again.

He wrapped his arm around my waist and brought his lips to mine sweetly, sending my heart into a frenzy. I felt a sob in my chest at the passion in it and held him just a little tighter. He didn't seem phased by the chaotic nature of my kiss, only excited by it. When we parted, I looked into his deep eyes, memorizing them forever. "Okay, I'll call up when it's ready," he whispered when we parted, both craving more.

I went into my room, set the heavy backpack down on the ground and decided to take out the little black book. Today's entry wasn't going to be happy...or very insightful because I was plain scared and didn't know what else to do about it.

_July 27th 1918,_

_I've been doing a lot of thinking lately..._

_Edward and I went to a lake and I'm pretty sure we're going to live there now. Screw New York and its loudness – I wanna be alone and so very much in love with him...while I can be._

_But that's not what's on my mind._

_Frankie is on my mind. My mom is on my mind. I've been thinking a lot about what happens to them if I'm erased from their memories. I don't really get it either, but it's troubling to think that I might just have them as my own memories soon. I will miss them if this is really permanent._

_Of course true love only comes around once in a lifetime and I'm convinced I've found my soul mate here. There is still the sensation that this isn't permanent, no matter how much we plan our future. I hate that I can't look him in the eye and say forever without having my voice shake in doubt. I don't want to have to doubt I will grow old with him, have babies someday, and love him until we die together at a hundred years old or something._

I didn't even know how to continue with my next thought. I covered my mouth so the sounds of my crying wouldn't disturb anyone.

_...what will happen to Edward if I went back? Would he forget me? Would destiny spare him and make me just a wild dream he'll forget a few hours after he wakes up? If that ever does happen I know one thing is for certain: I wouldn't make it. I can't...continue knowing his smile won't be there every day. I've been thinking about this because I had the most troubling nightmare last night after Edward and I almost made love. And in that nightmare...I woke up in a hospital in 2005._

_And Edward was not with me._

**A/N: Fucking crazy Bella. **

**Review **

**-Panda**


	17. Enemy

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Enemy**

**(Bpov)**

I heard a beeping sound out in the darkness of my dreamless sleep, beckoning me to the light I could see in my mind. I reached a hand up and smiled, expecting to see my Edward lying above me with a grin on his lips because it was morning, but I felt nothing. "Edward?" I whispered, expecting him to stir beside me, but I felt nothing. No warmth at all. When my eyes opened I didn't know where I was, but it certainly wasn't my bedroom in the Masen house. I looked down and saw there were tubes and needles sticking out of me in random places that hooked me up to machines. Horrified, I looked around and saw Frankie lying in a chair, and as much as I was glad to see him, that meant that was not Chicago. Or 1918. I wasn't with my Edward because he was a hundred years away – and unlike my last nightmare, this was real.

"No," my voice was a whisper as I stood up and pulled the things out of my arms; I was desperately looking all over for him, his smile, his green eyes that I always felt adoring me, but even his honey and sunshine smell was gone from my senses. Like he never existed, except in my memories. Frankie woke when he heard my struggle to get free of the life supporting machines and was by my side then, telling me I needed to calm down, that everything was okay and he was here, but I shook my head and struggled away from his hold. These were not the arms I wanted to be in. This was not the place I needed to be, and I could already feel depression sinking into my chest in waves. This was not happening. I wouldn't accept this!

I tore out of the room and began running down the white halls. I shouted his name in hopes of finding him somewhere in this madness, but it echoed and everything became blurry. The darkness was creeping up on me again, and this time I welcomed it greedily. I lied down on the cool pavement and began panting; if this was what it took to get back to my Edward I would do it. I hit my head a few times, hoping that the trauma would send me back, but I was left with nothing more than a headache and blood trickling down my face. After a few minutes of staring at the dark world and a bunch of nurses rushing to my aide, I was singing to myself. The sweet lullaby I'd only heard a day ago reminded me of his ancient smile, but it did nothing to soothe the ache in my chest. If anything, it only made me wish that fucking motorcycle would have killed me when it had the change to.

**(Epov)**

"Edward." That one small command woke me from the deep slumber I was in, because it was Bella's voice and she sounded far away. I felt around the bed next to me, and she wasn't there. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw her standing at the foot of the bed and my heart raced in fear, only to calm when I saw tears pouring down her cheeks. She was sleepwalking, and talking, but she did the talking part a bit more frequently so it didn't shock me to hear. She was paler than usual, so I turned on the lamp on the nightstand, fearful to wake her because I knew that if you woke someone while they were sleepwalking it could give them a heart attack. I stood up when she started mumbling 'no' a bunch of times, and touched her arm very gently. She didn't wake only began to sob louder. She shoved me away when I told her I was here and that everything was okay, only to run to the other side of the room and collapse on the floor.

"Bella?" I whispered when she stopped moving. Panic entered me and I sprinted to where she was, took her in my arms and started shaking her to get any type of reaction. She was humming the lullaby I wrote her and sobbing when she'd take a breath. At this point, I was beyond worried and almost past the edge of sanity.

"Bella, wake up my love I'm right here," I promised when she whispered my name over and over again. Was she going insane, was she dreaming or in a coma? This was so much like what happened to Alice before she went into that coma a year ago, and I did not want that to happen to my Bella.

"BELLA!" I shouted, shaking her shoulders roughly this time as tears of concern started pouring down my cheeks.

"Baby, please wake up you're scaring me," I spoke in a normal tone when I calmed myself. No response, only more rocking and shaking. She panted a few times when I shook her shoulders again, and opened her dark eyes. I'd never felt more relieved in my entire life to see her awake, confused, but awake and alright.

She wrapped her arms around me, choking me with the force of it, but I simply didn't care. "Fuck you scared me. What happened? I woke up and you were crying and running around like a lunatic!" I explained it to her, but she didn't stop shaking or holding on to me and whispering that I was here. Of course I was here, where the hell would I go if she wasn't there with me?

I put my hands on either side of her face and saw her brow was puckered, her lips were parted, and her eyes were very troubled. "My love," I whispered to get her attention, "it's alright. I'm right here and I'm never going anywhere."

She nodded and pressed her lips to mine, sniffling when I returned the kiss with all my heart into it. I scooped her up into my arms and carried her back to bed, lying down without ever letting her out of my embrace. Her shaking had stopped, but her nails were still digging into the thin cloth of my shirt as she clung to me.

I didn't expect her to say anything, but she did. "Edward, don't you ever let me go," she whispered, looking right into my eyes, "promise me that no matter what you'll never let me go." I frowned, clearly not understanding one word of what that meant, but I nodded. She must have had a nightmare that I left her; as impossible as something like that would be.

I kissed her forehead and brought her a little bit closer. "How could I ever let you go Bella? You're my everything now. I certainly couldn't see my life without you," I swore when she sighed and curled up in my arms again. The haunted look in her eyes was the most confusing part of this all, and it did not let me sleep until she was safely dreaming in my arms again. I rested my head against the pillows when her grip lessened, but the event did not leave my mind; even as I slept. What could have possibly shaken my love so badly that she, the strong one of the two of us, broke down into tears and sobs? The only thing that I could think of that would make me that way was never seeing her again – and having no hope to.

And the very thought of that shook me to the core.

She slid out of my arms in the late morning and I watched with narrowed eyes as she sat on the windowsill and took out her journal. What I'd give to know whatever words were written in there. But of course, that was one of her personal things and I'd never look in it unless she wanted me to. When I sat up a few moments later and stretched she set the thing down and came to hug me. I grabbed her hand that was across my chest and kissed it gently when she ran her hand through my hair.

"I'm sorry about last night I don't know what came over me." She whispered in my ear when her head rested on my shoulder.

I patted her hand and turned to look at her as well as I could, "don't be sorry, love. Nightmares happen to the best of us. And it must have been some nightmare to take your ass down," I joked, making her smile. She pushed me and I took her down with me, laying her across my lap so I could press my lips to hers over and over again until she was smirking and her eyes had darkened.

"You're an ass," she rolled her eyes when I nodded, "come on. I think we need to eat something, my stomach is bitching at me." She sighed as she stood up and rubbed the flat surface. I loved the way she talked about her body, but also the way she looked when she bent over to grab her pants off the floor. I looked away, blushing when she gave me a smirk and swayed her hips on her way back to the bed.

She sat with her legs on either side of my body, still just in her underwear and a shirt, with a sly grin on her lips as they attacked my neck. I groaned and unconsciously rolled my hips up to meet with her warm center and she grinned down at me when she pushed me up against the headboard. "Edward, I do believe we need to make the wedding sooner...or at least the honeymoon," her voice dropped into a level of raspy sexiness that was so hard to deny.

I chuckled and ran my hand across her clothed breasts, loving the feeling of her hard nipples across my skin. I kissed her lips and successfully pulled her closer to me in doing so. But this had to end soon, because I didn't want to make her mine this way. "I agree, but not today, my love," I whispered and her lips feverish nature became sweet and loving.

She kissed my lips one more time before getting off my lap. I knew I had to be pouting when she pulled on her jeans. I captured her in my arms when we went down to the kitchen and kissed her cheek while she flipped our pancakes. "What would you like to do today, my love?"

She thought about it for a few minutes as she let the white batter brown, "I don't really have a choice but to go shopping with Alice. Jasper is driving us around, so you'll be stuck in the house today. I'm sorry." I stopped her apology short.

"It's alright, love. I could use a day to myself anyway," I assured her, even if that wasn't entirely true. There was nothing for me to do with my day except maybe go play baseball with the guys and catch up on my studies.

"Good," Alice's voice came from the kitchen door, "cause I'm taking her after breakfast." She grabbed the pancakes off the plate and we followed her out to the dining room. Bella sat on my lap when I settled in my place. I stabbed a fork into one of the fluffy things, stuck it up to her mouth and she rolled her eyes.

"Edward, I am quite capable of feeding myself-" I stuck it in her mouth without hearing another word and handed her the fork.

I grabbed a piece of toast and drank out of the single glass or orange juice we shared. "I just wanted to make sure it wasn't poison before I ate it," I joked, but she pointed to Alice who already had half of her breakfast in her mouth. We looked at her curiously and she shrugged.

"What? I adore food. Come on Bella, let's go." And she took my love off my lap before I could even give her a kiss goodbye. I followed them outside to where Jasper was standing beside his nice car and took her hand when she reached for me.

I kissed the top of her hand and smiled when Alice pulled her in the car, "I'll see you when you get home, love. Alice," I looked at me spastic sister, "if you bring her back to me in any other condition than she is right now I will hold you personally responsible." She seemed to take me seriously, but that didn't mean she wasn't snide about it. She rolled her eyes and shut the door after Bella took my lips in hers. Ever since my girl was assaulted in the park, I couldn't bring myself to leave her alone unless I was absolutely certain she would be alright. With Jasper and Alice I knew she would be, but that didn't mean I didn't worry.

"She'll be safe with me Edward," Alice promised. I nodded and let my hands fall off the side of the car so they could drive away. Bella waved at me and I caught the kiss she blew, but soon they were around the corner and out of my sight. I didn't know I was standing there thinking about the way her hair blew in the wind and how beautiful her smile was until my friend Ben came over to me and tapped my shoulder.

I hadn't been out with my friends for a long time, but I knew that today there was a baseball game going on down at the park. That was the reason Ben Cheney, Michael Newton, and Seth Clearwater were all standing in front of me. I could hit a ball, throw a hard curve ball, and even run faster than all of them combined. And that was why I was on the high school team for most of my years there. "Hey Edward, you feel like joinin' the game? Get away from that fine lady you always got on your arm now," Michael laughed crudely as if she was just some other girl they could joke about.

I took his arm and twisted it behind him, making the rest laugh at the look of discomfort on his face. "As long as you never say anything about my Bella again," I warned with a dark look in my eyes that scared his already cowardly self, "sure. Let's go." I let go of his arm and continued on down the road with the rest of the guys because Newton was bitching the entire way there that I hurt his arm.

It wasn't until we got to the field that I saw one of our own, Emmett with Rosalie right beside him, and then my eyes turned toward the group we'd be played. James and that crazy red-head Victoria standing there with their team of misfits. "Oh look," James said as we all came over scowling at them, "its Masen and his faggot friends. Tell me, how is that fine girl of yours? Still shaken up because she couldn't handle me?" I growled, stepping forward only to have Emmett hold me back. I saw Victoria's eyes glaze over in jealousy when he jumped away from me.

"Hey now," Emmett warned when James's smile left his ugly face, "you wouldn't wanna go to jail for hitting him and miss an entire week with Bella, now would you brother?" I shook my head no but didn't calm my defensive stance with my fist raised, shaking against the pressure my brute of a brother put on it. If he let me go now I'd certainly crack James's skull in.

I let it fall but I stepped closer to him as to warn him. "The only reason you aren't lying on your ass in the dirt is because it would upset my fiancée if I went to jail. You better fucking watch your back around here from now on, James, because I'll be there when you least expect it and you'll never be able forget what I do to you for lying one hand on the woman I love." I smiled when he gulped and tried to cover it with a tough guy act that didn't fool me for one damn second.

"Whatever, faggot. Let's play ball and settle this on the field." He pointed toward the pitcher's mound and I smirked back at him after grabbing the old bat off the ground. I took my place at by home plate, gripped the bat in my hands and watched his first move carefully. I hit hard, but not hard enough to let it go out and ran to second, smirking at the boy who glared at me. The game went smoothly after he threw the first pitch, full of trash talk from both of our tears and a few calves when we'd slide across the bases. But toward the ninth, we were down two with the bases loaded and I was up to bat. He smirked at me, saw the sweat beading across my forehead, and called out to try and distract me.

"You don't have it in you, faggot. May as well give it up now." He smirked, making my eyes narrow again. Why was he always calling me that?

"Shut up and throw the damn ball, asshole." I growled back. He glowered and threw it, sent it flying through the air in a very familiar way, and I let it pass me. The umpire called Strike out, and I got back into formation again, Emmett begging me with his eyes to hit it out so he could run from third home, and so Ben could do the same from second.

"Don't miss it, faggot," his voice taunted me and Victoria's bell like laughter was all the distraction I needed to miss the second ball as well. They were snickering at me, making fun of me and the rest of the guys, but I didn't let it get to my head because I saw the one thing I knew would let me hit this out of the field. Bella was walking over to where I stood with a book in her hands and a smile on her face when our eyes met. She got close enough to shout something at me before James threw the next pitch.

"Edward," she purred, looking at me with those caramel eyes, "show that bastard what you've got. Hit it out for me." I nodded, smirking because I knew I couldn't possibly disappoint that beautiful girl who all the guys' eyes were glued on. James and I seemed to be the only people out immune to her beauty, except Emmett of course, so he threw the tricky curve ball and I swung the bat as hard as I could.

It cracked with the amount of force from the hit and the ball flew past the field and into a lake nearby. His eyes were full of rage as Emmett, Ben, and I all crossed home plate and undoubtedly kicked their asses at the game we all knew so well. Bella came over to me then, hugged me before she realized I was all sweaty and stepped away a bit. "Sorry," I laughed and took my shirt off to dab at the little beads of sweat running down my chest, "hey James?" I called to him after making sure Bella was behind me.

"What Masen?" he growled back, scowling as his whore came back to his side and clung to him. She glared at Bella.

I made it seem like I was thinking about something. "You know, I think I have a theory as to why you call everyone except your friends faggot," he raised an eyebrow and dared me to continue, "well, people say that we call each other names because it's a way of covering up what we are, and well since you call everyone faggot I just assumed-"

"You're fucking dead," He glowered and came at me with his fist raised. Bella stood between us then, blocking the assault of our rage with her little body. I stopped dead when he looked down at her and she glared up at him.

Then, she did something I really should have saw coming. She stepped on his foot, kneed him in the stomach, and when he gasped for air she hit him in the crotch so hard it made my gentleman parts hurt. "If you ever come near my man again, I'll be chopping your balls off. Got it sweetheart?" she giggled and patted his head when he slumped over in the sand. He muttered under his breath and looked up at me angrily.

"So you gotta have your girl fight your battles?" he taunted, looking at me expectantly as Victoria rushed to help him to his feet. He pushed her away and she stumbled back a few feet before regaining her composure.

Bella took my hand and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders as we walked away. "No, she doesn't have to and I don't need her to," I kissed her forehead when she grinned up at me, "I just find it so much more entertaining to watch you get your ass handed to you by a girl that's easily half your size than by me." We both chuckled at his enraged crazy person expression, but I took her book for her and we headed back toward the house.

We ignored his protests, further taunting and nonsense, so I asked her about her day. "How was shopping with Alice, my love?" I wondered, bringing her hand to mine when we got out of the little park. Emmett and all the others decided to go to a tavern and get a cold beer, but we declined. I think it was because we always wanted more time together.

She grumbled then, scowling. "It was like you'd expect when going shopping with Alice. It was entirely too long and very boring. We got some costumes for the party on Friday, though. They're pretty cool," she added thoughtfully. Well that was good, at least we could go now to dance and drink the night away together.

She looked up at me a peaceful expression on her face as she ran her hands through my hair. "But how was your day? Your time alone?"

We had made it to the house by now, and when we sat down on the stairs of the porch I thought about my answer. It wasn't as good as it would have been if she was here with me, but it was fun watching that asshole make even more of a mockery of himself. "Not too bad, though I really do prefer your company and I think that's good, right?"

Bella sat on my lap then, tilting her little sunhat so people passing by didn't see her kiss me so passionately. I wrapped my hands around her small waist and pulled her even closer when she giggled into it. If this was how I'd spend the rest of my life, hell, I'd take it a million times over. I loved being in the circle of her warm embrace. She looked at me then, the sun in her beautiful eyes as she spoke to me. "That's a _very_ good thing."

**A/N:**

**Aw :) So there will be more grief from Victoria and James later on, but nothing our hero couple can't handle.**

**Review it :)**

**-Dee**


	18. Masked

**And some action happens in this chapter. M. Beware and all that.**

**Enjoy it – The panda girl.**

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Masked**

**(Bpov)**

_August 2nd, 1918_

_The fucking nightmares haven't happened in almost a week. It's really late, probably like 2 or 3 in the afternoon, and I had the first nightmare since the last one when I stood up and ran around like a psycho. That was pretty embarrassing, even if it only concerned him and he didn't laugh at me. This time it was a bit less horrifying and only involved me watching Edward look for me when he saw me disappear. He was so frantic and scared that it broke my heart and made me cry for a few minutes even after I woke up. I really hope this doesn't happen, and it's just nerves because I've been thinking about home a lot lately. Whenever I smell oranges, or cedar wood, it always makes me think of getting up in the mornings and watching Frankie spray himself with that stupid Axe body spray I hated so much instead of taking a shower because he was always late. Still, it's odd that I miss him after being here for almost two months now you think I would have gotten over it and accepted my fate. Wow. Only two months and I'm already engaged, building a house, and making my life. Who the fuck would have thought that would happen? Not me, that's for sure._

_I've been so exhausted from this last week that I haven't really been able to write. Edward and I have been doing everything – everywhere. We went downtown and walked the streets aimlessly because there was nothing else to do. We fell asleep in the meadow that night and woke up under those odd cherry trees. I'd been looking for other ones in town, but couldn't find any that were even half as old and so natural looking. They're definitely interesting. And the rest of the days we spent chasing each other around the house, playing stupid games, playing music, or in the huge backyard exploring and kissing while we did so. I felt like I was a kid again, but the air is starting to get colder at night, and his arms are tightening around me in a way that suggests he wants to do more than just cuddle away the cold._

_My mind is starting to wonder what we'll do when its fall and we can't go to our pretty meadow to get away from everything. Hopefully by then we'll have our own place, though and we can be in our house playing music lazily – making love. Sounded good to me. Him and his father have been talking on the phone almost every night. Jabbering on about constructing our own little shanty in the backyard by the lake. They thought it was a wonderful idea because by car we'd only be maybe five minutes away from their house. I already saw the pictures Edward had drawn up of it and it looked lovely. With the shingles and steep roof. Almost like a home out of a fairy tale. Fitting, right? Being as how we met was through time travel which is scientifically impossible – it still makes me chuck to think about that. Like I'd really gone back and found my prince or some shit like that._

_But Edward was far from perfect, I'd been noticing. And I love it. He gets nervous, he sweats, and he snores so damn loud I don't know how anyone in this house sleeps with my talking and his snoring combined._

I looked over at the man in my bed and rolled my eyes when he flung his arm across his face and continued snoring at a pretty good volume.

_And he even gets angry. It's cute to see, too. His ears turn pink and he pouts. There are so many things about my Edward that I just adore, and even when I get myself into trouble – like I did by going for a walk through the park in the early morning, nearly giving him a heart attack – he still loves me. It's humbling to see that he can love so deep, just like I do._

_But tonight is Alice's stupid party. Really not ready to dress up and be social with all of the people who hate me because I stole the sexiest boy in town from under their noses. Unintentionally. I didn't even know Edward would like me in the beginning: how could I? Oh well, I'll write later I'm sure. Those bitches piss me off to no end and this is the only way I vent – except Edward. Poor guy._

I shut the book when he began to stir and went back over to the bed. I sat on his hips and pressed my hands into his chest, smirking down at him when he moaned and grabbed my waist with both his hands. I knew he was awake now, because he was smiling as well, and moving me back and forth across his very hard member. "Well good morning to you too." I gasped when I felt him push up into my underwear and shut my eyes in pleasure.

"You started it," he countered, pulling me down to kiss his lips. I grinned in doing so and let my head rest above his head when we parted. This beating had become the rhythm of my life now, and I loved how we could just lie like this and listen to each other's steady breathing mixed with the sound of singing birds outside the window.

I frowned, not really sure why this always made me so confused to say. "I love you," I whispered, getting a chuckle from him.

"Tell me something I don't know already," he joked, making me glare up at him playfully, "you know I love you back, Bella – you're my girl." He smirked, running a hand through my hair. It almost made me purr when he did that, and it definitely sent shivers down my spine.

I pushed him away just as Alice came into my room, looking overly excited as usual. Her pale cheeks were pink, and she was already dragging me around. "Yo, Alice what the hell?" I laughed when she drug me away from Edward, who was still looking incredibly confused, but not very surprised.

"Edward," I begged him when his head popped out of the doorway to see just where she was taking me, "come on please?" I whimpered when she turned toward her room and that dreaded closet. He just laughed and shook his head while heading in the opposite direction.

"Nope, I've learned after pulling you away from Alice that I get smacked with something. Every time I try and get you away from her room she beats me, so sorry love." He waved and started going down the stairs, chuckling when he met up with Jasper and Emmett.

I turned toward the pixie girl, who sat me very forcefully in front of her vanity. "Alice this is ridiculous. I just woke up and it's only three! Why are we getting ready right now?"

She smiled and I saw Rose come out of the closet, only wearing a thin satin robe across her shoulders. "Silly Bella," she chuckled, "it's like four in the afternoon. You and Edward stayed up until six in the morning, bothering me and Jazzy with your giggling so I'm bothering you back." She rose and eyebrow when I started to protest, but I gave up. Arguing with Alice was pointless because Edward was right: when you pissed her off she'd hit you with someone and you'd never do it again.

So I spent a few hours getting my skin poked and prodded with shit that smelled like perfume and made me cough. Rose pinned my hair up and left some of my bangs hanging across my face in a flattering way, while Alice did my makeup. I looked innocent, almost like it was my wedding day but I wasn't putting on that big white dress yet. A dark blue one was going on though, even though I really hated that we had to dress up like people from the 1800's at Alice's party. She did it on purpose because she loved the glamor of the big dresses and the mystery of the black masks across our eyes and cheeks. The dark blue dress they stuffed me into had a corset back, a very low cut neckline that pushed my breasts up, and was very large at the bottom. It made me look fuller than I actually was, which was a good thing because everyone here told me I was too damn skinny.

All the dresses were designed the same, but with different colors. Rose was in a deep red dress with her blonde hair hanging around her shoulders, and Alice was in dark purple with her messy hair flat around her face. I had to admit it we did look very attractive for women in this time period. Around six though, our men were nowhere to be found and Alice went on to explain why.

"I've told them to head out before us so we can go and be incognito. They won't know who we are until we say something!" She clapped, making Rose and I roll our eyes. Yeah, like that was going to happen. The pixie, the sexy blonde, and the extremely pale brunette were going to be mistaken for someone else. I really doubted that.

I pointed down the road, "then how are we gonna get to the house, Alice?"

She stuck her tongue out at me, "I've put my charms on the sixteen year old boy next door. Tyler something-or-rather. He's driving us." She grinned innocently when said boy came out of his house with a lovesick expression on his face. Poor kid had no idea what Alice was capable of doing – even to the strongest willed people.

We arrived at the house only minutes later, because the boy wasn't the best of drivers and sped a lot more often than not. The home was just like any gigantic southern plantation you saw in all those old movies, and lit up beautifully with tons of people inside. There was a grand cement staircase leading up to the front door, and when Alice told the boy thank you for his services, we all began walking up the large steps.

There had to be about a hundred people around us, all our age or younger. The inside of the mansion was beautiful. Right after the door was a huge marble staircase and twenty foot tall vaulted ceilings. There was different wallpaper in each room, rich reds and deep blues, but also innocent whites with patterns. There were polished marble floors below my high heels, and the smells of food and fall came to my nose when we passed the entry way. In the grand room, which really had earned its title, there was a jazz band playing for everyone to dance to and foods of all kinds on a table with what looked like professional cooks serving it to people who came by.

Alice handed me a glass of champagne with strawberries inside of it and went off with Rose to find Emmett and Jasper. I took to exploring the beautiful house instead of dancing with a man who clearly wasn't my Edward. My hands ran across the smooth wallpapered walls when I went the opposite way and found myself inside of a parlor. Well, I'd found Jasper sitting in a chair with a glass of bourbon in his hands and a smile on his face when he recognized me.

He came over to where I stood in the doorway. "Hello, Bella. May I ask where my Alice has run off to?" he wondered as he bent down to kiss the palm of my hand like a gentleman would.

I pointed toward the dancing room, "she's in there with Rose. Uh, you don't mind if I look around your lovely home, do you? I've never been in a plantation before." I blushed, and he shook his head and chuckled.

"Not at all, enjoy yourself. Excuse me," He smiled, passing me swiftly on his way to the woman he loved. I liked Jasper's southern hospitality. It was so different from a guy just saying 'yeah sure whatever. Just don't touch my alcohol' like men in my time would have.

So, I left the beautiful parlor and went to the expansive staircase curiously. I lifted my dress and felt a hand on mine, helping me up the steps. I looked over to see who it was, but he was wearing a mask as well and had what looked like a pirate hat over his hair so I couldn't see who he was.

He was wearing the same thing almost all the men were: an old time waistcoat and dark pants with knee high boots from the era before us. He had a very symmetrical facial structure that was increasingly pleasing to look at, though. I blushed when we got to the top and he kissed my hand, lingering there for a few seconds. "I am sorry, I don't think we've ever met?" I wondered, looking into his dark eyes. There was passion in them that made my stomach turn and butterflies soar through it.

He shook his head and took my arm as I continued down the hall, and I blushed because being this close to some stranger would really piss Edward off. "No I am sure we haven't," his voice was deep and velvety, very musical sounding, "but would you spare me one dance?" he asked, looking over to me when we reached the end of the long hall and found ourselves in a circular room.

The music below could be heard, but when I began to protest, he took me in his strong arms and held me in a dancing position. I knew if this was my Edward, he would have placed my feet under his, so this was entirely inappropriate. But why did it feel so right to have this stranger twirl me around and touch my waist, only to send shivers of lust down my body? I shivered when his lips met my neck and he kissed down to my collarbone.

"I-I'm engaged," I panted out, only to have him smirk and run his hand down my chest and back to my hips. It sent sparks down my body when he pulled me close.

His voice was low and deep in my ear. "So am I," it reasoned with me. Oh why was it so hard to say no to those black eyes and that electric touch that instantly made me moan?

"My fiancé is pretty hot-headed," I tried again and he laughed, pulling me closer to him and looking down at my half exposed chest greedily. He pressed a kiss to the hollow of my neck and I heard a growl in his chest when my hand reached behind his neck and tugged at the hair there.

"Yeah," he nodded, running his lower lip up and down my jaw, "I think I'll take my chances with him." And how could I say no when my body was begging for more?

Why was my body begging for more? I only felt this way with Edward, not some random guy at a party. He twirled me again, dipping me down and kissing the spot between my breasts. My breathing hitched in my throat and we didn't move for a long moment as I looked into those eyes. I knew those eyes. The music continued, much slower, and he pulled me closer accordingly.

I ran my hand across his stubbly cheek and cupped it before bringing my lips to his in one soft motion. It was mesmerizing, feeling this man's lips move against mine as our eyes didn't shut and our breathing quickened.

I felt horrible that my hormones were doing this, and that if Edward ever found out it would break his heart, but I just couldn't stop. I'd never been so attracted to a man before in my life, and that was exactly what I thought when I met Edward. Our lips moved in sync with each other and he panted before swinging me up into his arms and pushing me against a wall. I could feel his hard length pressing into me through my dress and it only made the liquid hot lust in my stomach travel down further.

"No," I whimpered, "we can't do this. I can't." But my arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer when I said that. He chuckled then, taking his hat off to reveal a very full head of messy bronze locks. I looked into those eyes in the light of the moon and saw deep emerald pools of affection starting back at me.

"Now can we do this?" He asked huskily, pushing up into me again when I blushed and smiled through the embarrassment at him. I nodded and his lips went back to attacking mine, making the lust I felt from before all the more prominent because it was Edward, and inside I knew only Edward could make me feel this way.

I panted when his lips moved to my neck, and he whispered in my ear. "You are absolutely ravishing, my Bella."

I let out one heated spurt of laughter and nodded. "There's a room there," I pointed to a door and he nodded. He took my hand in his as we opened it to find one black bed with dark red covers and pillows, paintings all over the deep red wallpaper that matched our lust perfectly.

It was very dark when he shut the door and pushed me up against it, heatedly meeting my lips and running his tongue across my lips. His hand ran up my dress and ran his hand across my already wet sex through the cloth of my underwear. We both couldn't take this waiting thing anymore. I needed him. I wanted this. I didn't care if we were in the middle of a party with tons of people we knew.

The door was locked, and no one even knew we were missing: what else could hinder us from continuing? My hands ran down his front and undid a few of the buttons on his trousers so my hand could snake down further. He groaned out my name when I gripped his length in my hands, and I was blushing at the size of it under my touch. I ran my hand up and down it, rubbing my thumb across the head when I would come back up. His fingers fumbled with the lining of my underwear, but his hand slipped past them and he groaned deep in his chest when I gasped at the feeling.

I'd never done anything like this before, but by the way he began panting my name with every stroke I must have been doing something right. His fingers rubbed and pinched my clit, making my body shake and quiver. It was the best kind of friction, and I could feel something unknown building in my stomach. I scratched his back, bit down on his neck, and ran my hand faster when his moans grew in volume. I panted his name, he groaned mine. I was so close to going over the edge of ecstasy, and so was he.

"Bella," he whispered and lowered his head to kiss my breasts, gently nipping and sucking across them, "I-I'm close," he groaned when my finger swirled across the head again. And I could feel him getting impossibly harder with each touch. I was following close behind him, the coil in my stomach ready to spring with every roll of his fingers across my clit.

We had moved to the wall now, kissing and groaning as we pleased each other. One of my legs wrapped around his waist unconsciously and I took his thick erection in my hands again and ran it across me. He shoved me against the wall then, looking at me with black eyes that said a million lusty words. Our lips met again and my hand continued pushing him against me roughly. I gasped when the spring finally came undone and hot waves of lust ran across my body, making me twitch and arch my back against him. I was so lost in my own world that I barely noticed the way he pushed against me harder and shut his eyes, just before I felt hot liquid coating my already dripping wet center. It made my stomach knot as I watched him lose himself on me. Our eyes met then, and it was like there was nothing else in the world except me and him in this dark room with the moon shining in on us. Everything else just stopped – even our breathing. I'd never felt so intense and relaxed at the same time in my life. Now, I couldn't imagine that sex would be better than what we just had.

We were quiet for a few minutes, and he swung me up in his arms and placed me down gently on the soft bed. I really hoped Jasper didn't use this room for anything. "You're trembling," I whispered when he rested his head on my chest. He nodded, still panting a little and kissed the spot under my ear.

"I'll be alright," he assured me with a soft smile, "will you? You're shaking like a leaf, my love." He laughed and it was then that I realized I was. His hand ran down my cheek and I kissed his fingers when they passed my lips.

I was lying in the crook of his arms and when he bent down, I kissed him lazily. I'd never done anything like that before, never even had the desire to touch myself in that kind of way, and after the first orgasm I'd ever had I think I had the right to shake a little bit and let my legs turn to jelly. "You're such a tease," I laughed, thinking of how all this happened, "I had no idea that was you before." I confessed. He rolled his eyes and poked my nose with his index finger.

"And you were going to let some guy kiss and touch you that way? You knew it was me, your mind just wouldn't let you until the last moment." He assured me after he wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his forehead to mine. It was true – all of those things I knew I only felt with my Edward. I almost felt stupid to think that some random guy could provoke that kind of spark in my heart.

The uneven beating of our hearts steadied after a few minutes – or it could have been hours – and I stood up then, smirking down at him when I straightened out my dress. "I think I'm in the mood for some champagne and dancing. Care to accompany me, stranger with the copper hair?" I held out and arm and he rolled his eyes, but accepted my extended arm and unlocked the bedroom door.

We were headed down the hall when he turned to me with a wicked smirk on his lips that immediately made me very suspicious. "What is it?" I wondered, narrowing my eyes when he took my hand and continued walking with a smile.

"Nothing," he shrugged, but then looked at me and kissed my hand, "I just feel really bad for whoever has to clean up in there."

**A/N:**

**Me too, Edward. But this will be kinda a two part thing because in the next chapter someone is gonna piss Bella off and she's gonna explode. I just wanted this part to be more about the sexy mysterious side of Edward :)**

**Review it. :)**

**-Dee**


	19. Come Josephine

**A/N:** I'm sorry this is late! If you read my other stories, the AN is the same for pretty much all of them. I've been super excited for Breaking Dawn (haven't you?) and it's consuming my every extra thought! Also, I've been working a lot this week because my boss is a douche that likes to pair me with the pickiest designers in the world and my friend wants me to help him write the screenplay for his porn flick. I haven't had much time to write my stories with all that going on, ya know?

**Anyway, this is going to be their first fight. :)**

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Get Out**

**(Bpov)**

We wandered down the halls, admiring Jasper's home after Edward's really embarrassing comment. I couldn't believe we'd just done that – and no one even knew we were missing. It made my blood rush, my heart pump in my ears, and my legs were still a little wobbly when Edward's hands would touch my waist occasionally. His lips were at my neck when I stopped at a portrait of who looked like Jasper's mother, but I couldn't be sure. She was beautiful: blonde with blue eyes and a bright smile, even in art.

"This house is wonderful," I admitted when he wrapped his arms around me and kept kissed my neck and shoulders, "but too big. Don't you think so?" I wondered, and he nodded against me.

A few people passed us and he took that time to remove his lips from my skin and stand beside me like a gentleman again. "I agree. Our home will be much smaller, my love. I promise. Nothing more than a cottage, really." He was smiling when my eyes calmed. A cottage sounded nice for just the two of us in the woods. It would be perfect. No kids, because I was certain that we weren't ever going to be calm enough for them. I couldn't wait for Edward's dad to get back so the construction could begin. We were already moving the wedding date up, significantly, to August. Alice was mad, but we didn't care. I wanted to be with him now and forever. Even though forever wouldn't ever be enough time with him.

"Sounds good to me," I sighed and wrapped my arms around his neck the best I could in this huge dress. He laughed and pulled me closer, pushing the dress away with his legs so he could hold me. It was nice to be in his arms, even if we'd only spent five minutes away from each other, but when I heard laughter come from behind us, I had a feeling I knew who it was already.

We turned, grimaces on our faces when we saw Victoria's red hair and James's slimy blond locks underneath a tattered hat. They were both smirking at us as they approached, and I could see the malice in their shielded eyes. She spoke up first, filling the silence with her bubble gum girly voice. "Bella, Edward. Fancy seeing you up here," she looked me over and rolled her eyes at my dress, "we were just headed back downstairs. Edward would you like to dance? I'm sure James can keep Bella company for a few minutes," she smirked at my fiancé.

"I don't see the harm in one dance, as long as we are clear that she is my fiancée and if you hurt her I will break your neck," he curtly agreed, not wanting to be impolite to a "lady", but not really caring what he said to the man.

"Oh no, Miss Bella, I am really sorry for my previous behavior," I saw the false apology in the words already, "I promise I am much better in the head now. I respect a lady when I see one," he smiled, kissing the top of my hand. It sent shivers down my spine, but I nodded.

I coughed away the uncomfortable blush when Edward took Victoria's hand and walked with her down the steps, while James did the same with me and I almost puked all over him. He was grinning in a way that would have made me want to run if Edward weren't right beside me with Victoria. Why the fuck did he agree to this in the first place? What could have possibly come from just saying no to the tigress looking woman? When we got into the dancing room, there was something like a formal waltz going on, and Alice saw us immediately. Her eyes were fiery, for she didn't like the couple any more than we did, but there wasn't anything we could do about it.

The music shifted to something much slower then, a song that would have specifically been for couples, but James didn't let go of my waist and Edward kept his hand lightly on Victoria's. I saw a hard look in his eyes when she pulled him closer. James did the same and grinned down when my breasts pressed up against his chest. He was so sick, and now I saw why he wanted to dance with me. I was nearing breathing fire, and my fists clenched around my dancing partner's shoulders. I'd rather be dancing with Jacob, and that was saying something. My eyes didn't leave Edward's, and when they saw Victoria's free hand travel down his chest to run across the front of his pants, I snapped. His face was shocked and he'd stopped moving, so I knew he was mortified that she was even touching him at all.

"Oh fuck no," I growled, shoving James off me. I walked over to where Edward stood, in shock from her actions – turning a little bit green – and I spun her around. She didn't even have time to register what was happening before my fist connected with her face, crunching the bones there as she toppled over onto her ass. The music stopped and everyone watched as she whimpered on the floor and James went to her aide. I didn't care: no one touched my man like that. I knew this was just a ploy so she could be closer to him and James could be closer to me.

"What is your problem?" She shrieked, glaring at me as James dabbed at the blood around what I hoped was her broken nose.

"You are my fucking problem you skank," I shot and Alice came to my side very quickly then, "don't you ever touch my man again! If I even see you near him I'm gonna do more than break that fucking nose, you cunt!" I shouted, getting gasps from several of the guests as Alice pulled me back.

"Bella, calm down," she pleaded, but I was past the point of reason.

"Psychopath! You're just a fucking freak!" Victoria shot back, glaring at me from her position on the floor. And just like that, I was back on the rooftop of my building, getting yelled at by Tanya as I punched her face in when I found out she was having sex with my boyfriend. That memory was all I needed to break free of Alice's hold with a snarl. I pummeled her, pulling on her hair and scratching as she tried helplessly to punch me back.

Edward stepped in then, taking me by my waist at the same time James grabbed his girl. We were both yelling and swinging for each other, but I was being dragged out of the house so I couldn't do anymore damage. Edward sat me down, rather roughly, on the balcony of the massive porch and that's when I saw he was glaring. At me.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, crossing his arms with a quizzical expression when my eyebrows rose. What was wrong with me? Nothing, I thought.

"Me," I asked, confused, "what do you mean? She was touching and rubbing herself all over you! What did you expect me to do?" I shouted, glaring right back at him. If he actually liked the attention from that skank, I thought my heart would break in two.

He rolled his eyes, but they held a steely black color that I wasn't used to at all: it was very unnerving to see him so hostile toward me of all people. "You just embarrassed me in front of the entire town. I'd rather have some horny girl rubbing herself all over me for five minutes through a song than have your already fragile reputation embarrass the both of us," He scoffed, but I still didn't quite understand what the problem was, or why he was mad at me for this.

"You think I give a shit what those people think?" I asked, shaking my head when he ran his hands through his hair and he looked away from me.

"That's just it," he laughed, "you don't care what anyone thinks! Not even me, Bella. I want a woman I can take out places without getting into a fight over something as stupid as another woman touching me because she thinks it's going to make you mad. I want you to shrug it off because I am unconditionally and irrevocably yours forever. God, why can't you stop being such a freak for fucking one evening? Act like all the other girls and just keep your mouth shut and your fists to yourself?" He shouted before he could even think about it, and from the look on my face he really regretted those words. Those were the same words Jake said to me when I beat up Tanya. Why couldn't I be normal and accept that I was a virgin loser that didn't put out? Why couldn't I be normal and just fuck him senseless and throw myself around like I didn't matter? And now why couldn't I just let some chick hang off the guy I loved because it was just for one dance and I was supposed to keep my mouth shut?

Those words were never supposed to come from my Edward. Everyone else in this town had called me that and worse. He was the only one, up until now, that hadn't called me a freak. Now I knew it was true, he didn't want that in his wife, and it hurt. Bad.

I shoved him back when he came closer and started to apologize, seeing the tears in my eyes he decided to act quickly. It didn't matter – the damage was already done. "Because I'm not normal, Edward. I never will be," I smiled when the tears fell down my cheeks, "you know, you were the only person in this town that had never called me a freak, and loved me for just what I was. I guess I was wrong about you though," I sighed again, and his face fell drastically when I wiped the tears away.

I continued when his mouth opened and closed soundlessly a few times. "If you want some picture perfect girl that won't stand up for herself, go marry Angela or Jessica," I took my ring off gently and put it in his hands, "but until you can learn to accept me for who I am, I don't want to even look at you or be around you. I can't believe I thought you were different..." I trailed off, looking away from my feet and out to the field around the mansion, "I'm gonna walk home." I nodded, looking up at his shocked expression for the first time.

He was looking down at the ring in his hands, and he didn't even move when I started walking down the steps. I didn't care that it was a good five miles of walking through fields and gravel roads back to the Masen house. Maybe someone would come and hit me along the way and end the pain in my chest. But I knew, being me, that wouldn't happen unless I walked in the middle of the road. It would be a long walk from here, but I could have cared less.

The only good thing was I had thought to steal a bottle of champagne and put it in one of the ruffled things in my dress. I was going to save it for later, just for Edward and I, but that wasn't going to happen. I brought it to my lips and took a big drink of the bubbly liquid. I felt lighter already. I wanted to forget Edward ever existed. I wanted this to be some fucked up dream and I could wake up and beat the shit out of Jake for cheating on me and maybe become one of the cussing nuns that drinks and smokes. Sounded better than the hurt I felt in my heart: he hadn't even tried coming after me.

The walk home was interesting. I got lost in the park, drank some more, found my way again, somehow ended up giggling on the front porch, drinking away the rest of the bottle while I tried to put the key in the lock. The key in the lock. It still made me giggle, even when the door opened and I looked up at Elizabeth with an 'oh shit' drunken expression on my face. I'd just been caught by the parents that weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow night.

"Oh," I hiccupped when she put her hands on her hips, "you're back. Well that's good. Would you mind telling me where everyone else is?" She gestured around the house and I looked inside, shrugging.

"Not in there. They might be at the party I left a few hours ago. I walked here. I think my toes are bleeding," I looked down and saw my blurry shoes, scoffed and dirty from walking through the dirt, "but I'm drunk. I wouldn't know anything other than being a failure. I'm just a freak, right?" I laughed, making a joke out of the pain inside of my chest. I frowned then and she looked down at my naked hands, obviously seeing that I wasn't wearing my engagement ring anymore. I was holding it up to my face and it made me sad not to see the shiny crystals on my finger when I'd move it.

"What has my idiot son done now, sweetheart?" she asked, hugging me to her. I let out a very strangled drunken sob and shook my head, clinging to her as I let the pain out humorously. It was even funny to me, hearing the noises coming out of my chest. Like a choking bear instead of a person crying. Edward senior had come downstairs and when he saw my sobbing he put his hand over his mouth, covering that smirk that was so much like my Edward's. When he saw me glaring he had to leave, but I heard him laughing from the stairwell anyway.

"He...called me...a freak...and it was so mean," I wailed, sniffing loudly when she patted my head, holing in a grin at my behavior, "I just hit that girl for touching his crotch and he got all bitchy saying I embarrassed him! Doesn't he see it embarrasses me when people see him rubbing against some whore? He's such an asshole," I hiccupped, taking my arms off of Elizabeth's shoulders when she patted my back.

She shushed me, when I tore the mask off my face and threw it on the ground weakly. "So all the kids in town are at a party? And Edward said some mean things to you after agreeing to dance with a girl he knows makes you angry? Well it seems like he was setting the evening up to fail, my dear. Don't worry about it. How about you get some sleep and I'll wait for them to get home, okay?" she whispered when I started staring off into space, thinking about the events before Edward was a total ass to me. That was the best moment of my life, and if I wouldn't have suggested we go back to the party before we were missed, all this wouldn't be happening right now.

"I'm gonna get out of this ridiculous dress," I sighed and she nodded, "then I'm gonna go walk in the backyard." I waved as I went up the stairs and she let out a deep sigh when I started slurring my words and tripping up the steps. I made it to my room haphazardly, giggling when I'd trip over my own feet, and pulled on my favorite eyelet cotton nightgown. I tied a soft ribbon around my waist so I could go outside without exposing my entire body to the word, and took the spare bottle of moonshine I kept under my bed.

I climbed down the servant's stairs, went out the backdoor, and smiled up at the moon. It was pretty here. Very pretty here in the middle of the tall grass and flowers. Rufus licked my fingers and I patted his head weakly, still glancing up at the moon as I took in another gulp of the moonshine. Why wasn't this pain in my chest going away? I figured if I drank more it would, but it wouldn't. I couldn't stop thinking about Edward. The disappointment on his face when I embarrassed him at the party. I really was a freak, wasn't I? I was from a hundred years in the future, and I actually thought that I could blend in here. Stupidity on my part, I guessed. I was a fool to think Edward could ever love me.

"_Come Josephine, in my flying machine..." _I started, frowning at the moon when I could hear the wind blowing the song through my ears, _"going up she goes. Up she goes,"_ my voice was a whisper as I sang the old song very low and much slower than it would have been in this time.

I stumbled dropped the empty jar to the ground: it did nothing to soothe the ache, anyway so I didn't reach for it. "_Balance yourself like a bird on a beam,"_ I struggled, fighting the tears in my eyes as I held my arms out from my sides and walked across the grass, letting the blades touch my fingertips gently. They kissed my skin and reminded me of how it felt when Edward would touch me so softly it was like he was afraid to break me.

"_In the air_ _she goes," _I cried quietly, speaking the last line I could remember, "there s-she goes." I kept my arms out and let the word spin around me while the tears fell from my eyes silently. I couldn't hear the world around me, only lived in the nice memories of my time with Edward. I'd fucked up giving my ring back, and I regretted it now. All I wanted to do was run back to that porch and kiss him all over, saying I was sorry for anything I'd done to upset him. It wasn't worth it.

A voice was in my ear then, and I didn't know if it was real, or my imagination. "_Up, up, a little bit higher. Oh my, the moon is on fire,_" Edward's low voice whispered back to me in the same tone, and I smiled when his lips touched my cheek, creating cold fire as they always did. I was sure I was dreaming when his arms stretched out to meet mine and he touched my hands.

"_Come Josephine, in my flying machine. Going up, all on," _his voice was shaking, "_goodbye."_

We stood there, in silence, and I could feel it every time he would let out a small shudder of a sob into my hair, and his arms eventually fell to my sides and he pulled me close. "I'm so glad you're safe, I realized what an ass I was being about thirty seconds after you left, but you were already gone. I looked everywhere. I'm so sorry Bella, I was so stupid. I love you for who you are and everything you bring with you. I love it when you punch people, I love it when you drink and cuss because you're so sure of yourself. You're perfect for me, even if I get angry and say things I don't mean sometimes. But I've lost you now, haven't I?" he whispered at the end, fear breaking through the tears.

I turned and looked into his red eyes, cupping his cheek in my hands. I didn't speak, only looked at him and gauged his reaction to what I might do. I moved in closer, pressing my lips to his very softly before I spoke. "You are the most massive asshole I've ever met," his face fell and I made him look into my eyes before he could take it the wrong way, "but I love you so much it hurts I feel like my heart is going to explode "

He wrapped his arms around me very tightly then, sighing deeply because my words meant something to him. "I love you so my Bella," he held me and the swaying in my head stopped, "I hate seeing you cry. If I could promise not to make you cry again I would, but I don't think that's very realistic," he smiled down at me and I pressed my head into his chest.

"Beautiful brown-eyed girl," he whispered, looking into my eyes when I glanced up. He took my chin in his hands and opened my death grip on his shirt. He placed my ring there, looking at me seriously when I twirled it in my fingers, mesmerized by the way the moon shone across the crystals.

"My Bella," he spoke again, this time his voice was full of love and affection that seemed to be pouring out of his eyes: it wasn't just because I was drunk, either. He was pouring his heart out to me because he was sorry, and wanted me forever. No matter what I looked like, no matter what I did, no matter what I said. Edward would always love me.

He ran a hand across my cheek and I nearly purred into his touch. His words surprised me, and I wanted to say I didn't need to think about it. "Do you still want to be my wife?"

**A/N:**

**Review it! :D**

**-Dee**


	20. The Blind Man

**A/N: So I'm sorry this update is late, again. Really I have been busy with work and my friends, sleeping all day and staying up all night, if you know what I mean. I haven't had much time to write, but I'm remedying it now. There will be regular updates from now on, I hope. :D**

**BUT this chapter will be worth the wait, a bit of drama, a bit of love. *sits down with a jar of Nutella and cracks knuckles* Enjoy it! :D**

**Chapter Twenty**

**The Blind Man**

**(Epov)**

I sat there, waiting in absolute agony for what I hoped would be the best news of my life and not the worst. When I came home, very distraught, I didn't even care if my parents were angry, much less home early. I just needed to know she was alright and tell her how sorry I was. Sorry for being the biggest dick I had ever been, sorry for making her cry, and above all sorry for making her feel like I didn't love her. I did love her, so very much and I wasn't about to give her up for anything. Not a good reputation, not to silence the whispers about us, and especially not over some stupid red headed girl that wanted in my pants.

She looked at the ring again, a solidity in her swimming eyes, and handed it back to me. She sobbed out her answer "I can't," I felt my heart crack and break apart in my chest when I let out a short breath I'd been holding, "you really hurt me, Edward. That's not something I can just forget, you know?" She looked up at me, uncertainty that I had caused gleaming in her brown eyes.

I nodded, swallowing the idiotic tears in my eyes back while I tried not to break down in front of her. "A-alright then. You should head up to bed, Bella. It's late." I reached down and kissed her hand, but she when we started off toward the house she didn't turn back to look at me. She didn't love me anymore, and I could see that now.

When she was inside, and I heard Alice talking to her as she cried, I let myself fall into the grass by Rufus. "What have I done?" I whispered, frowning when he lied across my chest and I let a few tears fall onto my cheeks. Even his eyes made me feel guilty, and he was a dog. I pushed him off me and found myself walking through the woods, not exactly caring where I ended up. I stole the jar that had fallen from Bella's hands when I first came out, and drank away the pity inside of me while I thought about her.

Tonight was probably the best night of my life, before I fucked things up. I'd never felt so complete being with someone than I did when I watched Bella moaning my name, grabbing my hair, and kissing my skin with her soft lips. It was the most erotic moment of my life, and I hated that I ruined it. I knew agreeing to that dance was the stupidest move in my life, because it could have ended up with Bella being hurt. Well, I was thinking physically hurt by James, not mentally by the boy she said she loved.

And she looked so broken when I said the words! She looked at me and I could see her trust and faith in me breaking with every second I stood there, not speaking. I was such a fool, and I didn't blame her when she said she didn't want to be with me anymore. I deserved that and worse. I deserved to be put in the lowest level of hell and left to rot.

I didn't know how long I walked for, but when I got to the lake, I knew it had to be almost morning. Bella was furious with me, and I didn't know how to make that right. I hurt her by calling her the same thing I knew that son of a bitch ex-boyfriend did. Freak. She wasn't even close to being a freak, and I didn't even know why it angered me to see her defending me. Just the way people whispered about her and called her uncivilized made me so enraged I took it out on her, stupidly. Alice slapped me when I explained what had happened and told me I better go apologize or she would murder me in my sleep. I wasn't just doing it for Alice though.

I was doing it for me, because when she was away from me I felt lost. I didn't know what to do without her anymore.

"Hey," a deep voice startled me from my position on the only log in front of the lake, "dad's got the machines and men here. We're gonna start making the road." Emmett's smile was bright, because he loved destroying things and this was the perfect chance to do that without making someone angry. I didn't quite care about that right now.

I had forgotten that today the men were starting construction on the road out here. It was hard to say if it was even necessary anymore, but since the money had already been spent we had no choice but to continue. "Alright," I nodded, standing up a bit shakily, feeling drunk, "I'm going to go back to the house to change. I'll meet you guys out here in an hour or so." _No I won't_, my mind laughed at my misery.

He nodded and started showing the men where to start cutting out a path. I walked through the woods, passing the few men that were still making their way with my father, and waved as I walked by them. My father was talking and showing them architectural plans I'd helped draw up, so he didn't even notice my presence. I didn't have the head to think about planning where the house I wanted to share with my Bella would be if she wasn't my Bella anymore. Then, as I thought about her not being mine, everything was so clear. They way the couple looked, the way the seemed to have everything so under control.

The problem with this entire situation was that James and Victoria were okay with this. He saw her run her hand across the front of my trousers, and he didn't do anything about it. They continued dancing and kissing until I left, completely blissful even though she tried to cheat on him. That could only mean that they had planned for this to happen. They wanted Bella to freak out, knowing it just might make me angry enough to shout at her. I was such a fool! I'd fallen for their scheme, and now the only woman I had ever loved didn't want anything to do with me. Maybe I was just as stupid at that plan was.

I never thought I could be so blind, but now I could see. Fuck could I see.

I headed in the opposite direction of the house, knowing they would be somewhere in the park by now. They were always touching and kissing by the baseball diamond, especially when they were drunk. Her red hair wasn't hard to miss, either. They were standing together, kissing and rubbing against each other, and when I walked over to them they stopped.

"Looks like Masen came to see the show. Funny, we were just talking about-" I shoved him up against the fence with my forearm to his neck before he could even finish what he was about to say. Victoria shouted and started swatting at my back, not phasing me one bit with her banshee-like screeching.

"You son of a bitch," I snarled, pushing his throat harder when he struggled, "you thought I was that stupid? That I wouldn't see what you had planned to happen?"

He started turning blue, and I let him fall to the ground before I shoved the witch off my arm. "You two are the most fucked up assholes I've ever met in my life. I hope you're fucking happy," I kicked his ribs roughly, "because she fucking hates me now! The wedding is off. I screwed everything up because of you," I started to trail off, feeling the alcohol slowing my thoughts, but the rage won out and I kicked his chin when he tried to get up. He grunted and spat blood on the sand.

I glared down at him. "But none of that matters now. You see," I rolled up my sleeves as he panted from the ground and wiped away the blood off his lips, "the only reason, and I really mean the only reason, I didn't kill you before was because I knew it would upset Bella if I went to jail. Now that I don't have her by my side, and never will, there's nothing stopping me from tearing you apart." I grinned down at his stunned face, seeing the fear in his eyes because he could see that I was dead inside, and I didn't care about what happened to myself anymore.

He snorted and stood up again, challenging me with his indignant expression. "You couldn't even touch me before I kicked your ass. And it's worth it, seeing you so fucked up over a girl. She's just a girl, she don't matter to no one. And she's the biggest slut I've ever seen in my life," he laughed, getting Victoria to giggle along with him. I saw red. How dare they talk about Bella that way? She was the most amazing woman I had ever met, and I knew this conversation was pure jealousy that she didn't want him. It was pathetic to see a man stoop to such low levels to get revenge.

I smiled and looked down at her mask; I didn't realize I'd been holding it in my hands, but it still smelled like her perfume. I looked at it as I spoke. "Bella was the best thing that ever happened to me. She's beautiful, kind, and a million times more innocent than this slut you haul around with you," I glared at the woman and she squeaked in frustration, "and you're just pissed off because you know she'd never be with you. She may not want to be with me, but do you really think she'd turn to someone like you? The man who tore her from my arms and tried to rape her? If you do, you're dumber than I thought you were." I was coaxing him into fighting me, because I didn't come here to win. I didn't want to live in a world where Bella didn't love me anymore.

He tried to swing at me when I came forward, and I jumped on him. I shoved him into the dirt, punching and mangling his face with my fists until I couldn't tell where the skin began and the bleeding stopped. He begged for me to stop hitting him, but when I did I found myself on my back, getting hit all over my body, over and over again. I didn't care. I lied there and took it, but I thought about my Bella. I could smell her skin, feel her lips on mine, and I didn't care if I was bloodied and broken anymore. At least I could be with her in death, maybe hallucinate that she still wanted me if he gave me brain damage.

"Stop," a voice begged hysterically, and the person managed to shove James off of me, "oh fuck, Edward? Please tell me you're alright!" When I didn't respond, the woman snarled in fury and launched herself at James. I could see through the black spots in my vision that all it took was one kick to his groin that even made me hurt a little, and then she kneed him in the face. He fell over, completely unconscious, and she rushed to my side again. I could feel her cool hands on the side of my face.

"Baby? Please say something! Why the fuck would you do this to yourself? Are you stupid?" She was yelling at me, and I swore I knew that voice. I looked away from the scene of Victoria running over to James, and saw big brown eyes coated in tears.

I grabbed her hand that was on the side of my face and inhaled her sweet smell. "I am stupid. Stupid enough to lose the only thing that matters to me. So I don't want to be around for the rest of my life," I ran my bloody hand across her pale cheek and felt her lips come down to press against mine.

"You're so stupid Edward! You didn't lose me, you'll never lose me! Fuck I want to be with you, I want to get old with you, I want to have babies and die here with you! I was just mad and drunk, and saying things I don't mean. Just please," she begged me, "please don't get yourself hurt for me. Can you walk?" She wondered, looking into my hazy eyes. She still loved me? I couldn't believe the words until I felt tears falling onto my face, and I realized this was all just causing her more pain.

When I nodded, she helped me to my feet and we didn't look back at the unconscious boy on the ground. She had one of my arms over her shoulders and she was walking very quickly back to the house. She wiped some of the blood away from my eyes, and I could see her clothes stained red and dirty because she was on the ground beside me. "I'm sorry for getting you so dirty," I whispered roughly.

She rolled her eyes and glanced down at her clothes when people passing by gasped at us. "I'm not worried about my clothes, Edward. I'm worried about you! You look like a zombie," she laughed like that was something that was funny, but it only made me frown.

But I was still so shocked to know she loved me, and wanted me to be hers, that I didn't ask what the hell a zombie was. I knew sometimes with Bella, not knowing for a while wasn't that bad. I was a bit preoccupied with opening my eyes to the world again and the way my heart was beating faster with every moment that passed between us.

"Edward! What the hell happened?" My father shouted, taking me from Bella's arms and helped me up to the seat on the porch. I was sat down and my mom came back out with some wash clothes to clean the blood off my face.

I sighed when they all, including my Bella, waited for me to answer. "I went and picked a fight with James because he planned for what happened last night to happen. He wanted to break me and Bella up so he could have a chance with her. Stupid, right?" I laughed, hoping that they weren't furious with me. My mother was, but my father just laughed and clapped my shoulder.

"Does that son of a bitch look worse than you?"

Bella answered then, snickering at my shocked face. "Oh yeah. He looks like something came along and chewed him up then spit him out," I grinned over at her when she blew me a kiss and winked. I hoped that was true.

My father nodded down at me before going back to the yard, while my mom continued grumbling about fighting being childish and I moved away from the scrubbing on my face to go over to Bella. "Can we talk?" I wondered, wiping away the water on my face. This conversation couldn't wait, no matter how much my face hurt.

She nodded and I took her hand, leading her away from prying ears. We were in the woods behind home, but far away from the distant sound of chopping and men working. They had almost brought the road up to the house now, and it was already making me anxious to know our home was going to start to being built in a few days time. I took her hands when she spun around to look at me curiously. "Did you mean it?" I asked, hoping to god she said yes. If she said no I didn't know what I'd do. I was insane without her.

She snorted and nodded, obviously not understanding what I meant. "Oh yeah, James looked like shit, babe-"

"Not that," I rolled my eyes, interrupting her, "did you mean that you still wanted to be with me? That you loved me?"

She smiled at me, then took my face in her hands and ended all of the misery and angst I felt inside. "Of course I meant it: I love you, Edward and nothing will ever make me stop. Not if you shout at me, not if you say things you don't mean, and especially not some cheap firecrotch whore hanging off you. You're more important to me than that." She sighed when I rested my forehead against hers, and let my hands circle her tiny waist. I felt like I could cry with happiness, and I knew if I was alone I would have. Having her as my one and only again made the world brighter somehow.

When she kissed me, slowly and lovingly, I reached into my pocket and fished out the ring that I had put there last night. "I promise," I spoke hoarsely, jadedly, as I slid it on her finger, "to always love you, no matter what. I'm yours, and no one will ever come between us again. Will you be mine forever?"

She pushed it on the rest of the way, wrapped her arms around my neck as the chopping and sawing noises came closer to us, and kissed me again. She answered me when we broke apart, giving me back the sense of hope and balance in my world. "Forever."

I couldn't get over the happiness, couldn't hold her close enough, and certainly couldn't have enough of her, but there was one thing still on my mind when I stopped spinning her around in my arms. "Bella?" I asked, looking down at her as she smiled and wiped away a few tears. We held hands now, looking at each other like the love-sick teenagers we were.

"Yes, Edward?"

I was hesitant to break the calm, loving feeling around us, but curiosity had the best of me now. "What the hell is a zombie?"

**A/N:**

**Short, but good I think :D**

**Review it!**

**-Dee**


	21. Brown Eyed, Bronze Haired Beauty

**A/N:**

**...I am so sorry, readers.**

**My life has been throwing some punches at me lately: traveling all over the god damn world being the main one here. My work is hectic right now, because it's Fall, and it usually is this time of year.**

**ANYWAY: here it is. n_n**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**Brown Eyed, Bronze Haired Beauty**

**(Bpov)**

Sweating and in a hurried panic, I fell out of my bed and went over to the window facing the back yard. It was still dark and there was no sign of the sun rising over the thin layer of late summer clouds any time soon. Terrifying dreams were plaguing my sleep, and Edward wasn't beside me because was because he went with his parents to settle some very sad news that came to us last week. All of the Masen's had left for Fort Wayne last Thursday, and I stayed here with Glenda and the rest of the maids. They'd be home later on today, though. Much later, I assumed because as I looked at the clock and it was two in the morning.

It was four days ago, and since then, I hadn't been able to sleep without having a nightmare.

"So," Edward sighed as he wiped the sweat off his brow and looked down at me from where he and Emmett were working on the second floor; they were in the hot sun while Rosalie, Alice and I were basking in the cool shade, "what do you think, love?" He gestured around us and I smirked up at his dirty face. He looked incredibly sex with his shirt off and a tool belt on his hips, but I tried to ignore that and concentrate on responding.

We'd been working for about two weeks now, and the house was coming along beautifully. To save money, Edward, his father, Emmett, Jasper, some of his friend's from school, me, and Alice all had been helping build the small cottage. It wasn't hard and mostly consisted of us girls cutting the building materials and handing them to the superior men above us, but it was satisfying when they'd get warm and take their shirts off. We didn't get much work done when that happened, though, and with good reason. I only had eyes for Edward, but it wasn't hard to see why Alice and Rose liked Emmett and Jasper.

Edward and I were becoming more passionate with each other, even more so than just lusting over everything the other did. We walked down to the lake in the moonlight during the night and held hands as we waded in the cool water. During the day I'd take his arm and we'd walk around town, not boasting our love, but displaying it for everyone to see and leave no question without a doubt that we were madly in love with each other. Things hadn't gotten any sexier than they had at the party, and I think we were both very alright with that. Somehow, the little angel on my right shoulder beat down the hellion on the left and I didn't need to make love to him to make this complete anymore. It already was. Even as I stared at him from a distance, slaving away in the hot sun, I knew our wedding night would have to be the most intense experience of my life to beat out that love I felt whenever I looked in his eyes.

I looked around the tall building, able to see the rooms in my mind even though they weren't there yet. I nodded up at him and blocked the sun out of my eyes with my hand. "It's perfect, sweetie. Get down here and get some water," I commanded, showing him the dripping glass in my hands. His eyes went wide and he took the belt off quickly on his way down.

"Edward!" Elizabeth yelled, distracting everyone as she ran down the long dirt road in her floor length dress, panting with her hair unpinned and in disarray. I'd never seen her like this, and by the look on everyone's faces, neither had they. She was crying silently, and when she jogged over to Edward's dad she hugged him with a large note in her hands. He rubbed her back and took the note from her hands, only to drop it to the dry ground and hug her back tightly.

Edward hopped down right after Emmett and nudged me as I watched the tear-jerking scene curiously. "What's going on, babe?" he wondered as he took the glass from my hands and downed it.

I pulled my hair up into a bun then because the heat in the sun was hot on my neck, and shrugged as we looked over at his upset parents. "I don't know. Your mom came out here with a letter and then she started crying. Go check it out," I shoved his shoulder gently after he kissed my forehead, and he went over to his where his parents were still embracing.

I watched suspiciously as he read over the letter, seeming like he was unable to believe it, and read it again before hugging his mom as well. Something bad was going on, and I knew that when Alice and Emmett went over as well. They were all talking with tears in their eyes, until Rose and I came over to find out what had happened. "Hey," I looked around the paling family, "is everything okay?"

And that was when I found out that Edward's grandparents had passed away the night before. The doctor for Edward's grandpa came by in the morning for a routine check-up and found them both lying together, dead from a fever. A fever I knew about all too well because it had killed hundreds of people in this time, and I learned all about it in History class. Then it wasn't important if someone caught something like this, because medicine could cure you in a few days. But now, this disease killed and it was on the front of my mind.

I grabbed my journal from the nightstand and turned on the light, but I was already scribbling across the paper. They were three big words that could mean everything I loved in this world, in this time, could end in a feverish haze.

_August 6th, 1918_

_The Spanish Influenza._

_It's hit Fort Wayne and killed Edward's grandparents. So what's to stop it from coming here and taking him away, too? I don't...I can't even think about that. The nightmares are getting worse and much less vague. Just now I had one that I was looking down at a headstone, and it had no death date, only Edward Anthony Masen scrawled across it. If that happens I won't live. I couldn't. Not in my own time, and especially not in this one._

_All I can do is sit here and pray to whatever God there is to not take away my reason for living. I'd rather die than watch Edward wither away to nothing in front of me, and I'm sure I'll die before that day comes. I want him to die right by my side, old and only recognizable by the bronze locks on his head._

_Not in a sweat feverish panic while I slowly lose my mind._

The days seemed to be passing agonizingly slow, and with no word from any of the Masen's I figured that could only mean that things were going as they were expected to go when someone died. I remembered my father's funeral like it was yesterday, because it was the single most horrifying moment of my life, and I'd never be able to forget it. Frankie, holding my hand while my mother pretended to weep when they lowered his coffin, all of the soldier's he fought with standing by with tears in their eyes because he was like a brother to them. My dad died fighting for something he believed in, though, and he was called a hero. And even was given a medal. Personally, I'd rather have my dad alive than receive some stupid, shiny piece of silver sitting on the fireplace.

I curled up on the large windowsill, pulled my nightgown around my body, and let my head rest against the glass while I cried. I didn't even realize I was crying until I was sobbing. That same fate might be bestowed on to my Edward very soon, and I couldn't take seeing another person I loved slowly lowered into the Earth. It would kill me, and there was nothing I could do but hope that the sickness didn't reach either of us. If I got sick it would tear Edward apart and he'd never be the same man; if he got sick it would do the same to me, so there was no way around one of our heart's getting broken.

This all had me wondering what would happen if I died in this time? Would my body die in the future as well? Would I cease to be real and be nothing more than a memory in the face of time? It was hard to say what would happen, but I knew that those things certainly could happen. If I did die, I hoped I'd stay here and be buried in our meadow. That's where I'd want to be for the rest of time, because it was so hopelessly peaceful there no matter what was happening in the rest of the world.

It seemed like only minutes had passed when the sun finally rose, but when Glenda came in and saw the state I was in, she only set out my dress and left me be. I didn't want to move, but my body ached in places I didn't know could, so I stumbled to my feet and let the cotton nightgown slide off my shoulders. All of my pants must have been in the wash, because I certainly didn't want to wear a dress, but I pulled on the dark blue material anyway. I sat down at the vanity on the left side of the room and began brushing my hair. The only noise around me was the gentle, steady catch of the clock on the wall.

It was like I was in some sort of trance, sitting there looking out of the window. Until the sound of a horn brought me out of it, and I saw the bright red car I knew from the first day I came here stopping outside. Alice was the first one out, and even through glass I could hear her happy voice complaining about the lack of leg room with Emmett and Edward in the back seat. They were all dressed in black clothes, and looked more like model's out of a fashion show that people coming home from planning and executing a funeral. I slowly started walking down the steps, and found myself in the living room as they all came inside. The parent's greeted me with hugs before moving on to the kitchen immediately for some coffee, and while Emmett went to the phone to call Rosalie, Alice jumped on me, blathering on about how she really hated small military towns. The only person who was missing was my Edward, and that was because he stayed behind to get the suitcases and shut the car doors.

Elizabeth and Edward's father looked tired as they sat at the dining room table, but Emmett and Alice looked incredibly bored. Alice stayed downstairs in her fashionable black dress when Emmett went to change, because they were both headed to see Rosalie. Alice wanted to plan the rest of the wedding, and I was sure Emmett was getting something out of it too. It was great to see my family, but I couldn't help but wonder why I wasn't being swung around and kissed like I usually was when he was away. Edward finally came in, and when I hoped to see a smiling face and maybe get a kiss, I saw that he was completely expressionless. He didn't even look at me as he sat his bag down by the door, and when our eyes did meet, he looked away very quickly. "What did I do?" I wondered lowly to Alice, looking at her with a worried expression on my features. He grabbed his suitcase and headed upstairs like he was in a rush to be away from me, and that brought silly tears to my eyes.

She sighed, patted my shoulder, and whispered in my ear. "He's freaking out. He's seen the damage done by this disease, and he's worried it will come and take away everything he loves. Go," she pushed me toward the stairwell, "_before_ he does something stupid that he can't take back."

So Edward was worried about the same things I was, but he was going to ignore me instead of hold me close and never let me go? Well, that wasn't going to happen while I was around. I marched, with a passion in my step, and swung his bedroom door open. He was sitting on his bed, looking down at the floor like he hadn't even heard me walk in. "Bella," he called me over with a tired voice and the pat of his hand to the dark blankets "we need to talk."

"About?" I whispered as I sat beside him. When I tried to take his hand, he turned to me and successfully told me without what exactly what he wanted to talk about. He wanted to leave me, and he'd been rehearsing what he'd say in his head probably the entire time he was gone.

He was nervous when my eyes narrowed. "About you and me, I don't want you here anymore-"

"Oh shut up, Edward," I scoffed, glaring at him while I stood up, "don't give me the 'I don't want to be with you anymore because it's not safe' crap."

"It's not crap." He shouted, standing up with me to glare at me too. "If I can't protect you and keep you safe from this, then what the fuck good am I going to do as a husband? You think I want to see you die in front of me? I couldn't live with myself if that ever happened, Bella! And I won't marry you if this disease is just going to spread and kill one of us and we end up being heartbroken. I can't do that to you." His voice softened at the end, and his hand cupped my cheek. I could see the misery in his eyes.

I kissed his wrist and looked up into his eyes as I spoke. "I know there is a risk, Edward, but I'm not going to let something that might not happen tear us apart. I'll be alright as long as I have you, and if you die, I promise I won't be far behind-"

"Oh yes you will," he cut in; "you will live until you're a hundred and something, and die when you're ready to. I won't let the same fate that happened to my grandparents happen to you, I swear it."

"You can't command me like some dictator, Edward!" I shouted back, moving away from his tender touch begrudgingly. I already missed feeling his skin against mine.

He threw his hands up in the air and looked at me like I was stupid. "Bella, do you not understand how I feel about you?"

That threw me. "What does that have to do with anything?" I laughed, finding the subject of his feelings very irrelevant when he just wanted me to leave anyway. I saw his face fall and tears form in his eyes as I waited for him to respond.

"Can't you see," he choked out as he walked over to the window and took my hands in his, "can't you see how much it would hurt me if you died? I can handle knowing you're safe away from me, but dead." He shook his head as if he couldn't even think about that happening to me.

And to be honest with myself, I knew I couldn't ever think about something like that happening to him either. To never see his lopsided smirk or see him laugh. I couldn't see this world without Edward, and that was because I was blind without him. "I understand," I whispered, "but put yourself in my shoes. Could you leave me here and go somewhere safe knowing that I might die?"

His face turned to one of understanding, and he shook his head no very quickly. Before we could both speak again, he took my face in his hands and the need to be closer overcame both of us. His lips were greedily taking mine, and I couldn't get enough of him. He rolled us over, moaning my name when my lips touched his neck, and finally held me to his chest as we both settled down breathlessly. Kissing Edward still made my head spin, and even more so after all the time we'd spent away from each other. The melancholy nightmares kept the excitement of being reunited away from us, but now we were smiling and looking into each other's eyes while I settled into the crook of his arm. I missed the smell of his skin, the taste of his lips on mine, and the way he could just look into my eyes like he was looking into my soul.

"I'm never leaving you," I whispered, breaking the magic of his stare.

He moved my hair out of my face and peppered my cheeks with kisses until I was smiling and giggling under his touch. "And I promise I will never ask you to again. I love you, Miss Bella. I don't even know what I was thinking," he laughed, kissing the ring on my hand sweetly and when he got close enough I took his lips in mine again.

"I think," he panted between kisses, "we should move the wedding up."

I nodded in agreement, "absolutely. After the house is up," I promised him, because I wanted our honeymoon to start when he walked me over the threshold of our new home for the first time. That, and the breakout of the Spanish Influenza wanted me to move things much faster so I could be with him in every single way if one of us, or both of us, were doomed to fall to it. He seemed accepting enough, but I could feel hesitation in his lips, and that confused me a little. Hadn't all the hesitation between us been thrown out the window long ago?

"What's on your mind now? Not more nonsense about abandoning me, is it?" I giggled, turning him over to sit on his lap. This was the only way I could get the whole truth from him, because he had nowhere to go and he couldn't lie to me anymore. I saw right through it.

"It's just," he hesitated, "I've been wondering about what's going to happen after we get married."

My hands trailed down his stomach, playing with the buttons on his shirt as I made my way to his pants. "Well, I don't know about you but I plan on lounging around the house with you, naked, playing music in so many more ways than one," I hinted, and my eyes shone with implications as he gaped at me.

He stayed like that for a few seconds, and I felt something very hard poking me through his loose pants, but he distracted me before I could do anything more than what I was. "About that...what do you think about you know," he trailed off, looking away from my eyes as a cute blush touched his cheeks.

"No," I laughed, "I really have no idea what you're talking about this time, Edward."

"About you know," he swallowed, "starting a family?"

I was quite for what felt like a very long time, my mouth I'm sure was hanging open if it hadn't fallen off already. I'd never thought about having a family in my entire life, but I could see it as he spoke again. "I mean, if you'd like to." And I could see it. I could see Edward and me sitting on the porch, a beautiful bronze haired baby that looked just like us mixed in all the right ways resting in my arms as he played music on his guitar. I'd never thought I would want to see that day come so badly, but as I looked into his nervous green eyes, I did. I wanted all of that, and I could only see it with my Edward.

"Yeah," I nodded, even surprising myself with how strong my voice was, "I want a family with you Edward."

His smile was almost blinding, but it didn't last long because his lips were on mine. I could feel the happiness bursting out of both of us and it was so nice to bask in it. When we parted out of necessity for air, he rested his forehead against mine. "I love you, Bells, and I promise I'll be the best husband I can. I'll do everything to make you and the family we might have someday happy." He swore to me as I nestled into his chest.

"You know something?" I asked, pushing him away from me, but only just.

"Hm?" he hummed, looking at me strangely as he tried to figure out what was going through my mind.

I poked his nose and got up off the bed, "I think there is a place both of us should be right now." When I grabbed his guitar, he knew exactly what I was talking about. He took my hand and followed me down the stairs, out the back door, and into the mysterious forest where our meadow was waiting for us to fill it with our laughter and music. There was no room in my heart for worry, but that didn't mean my head had forgotten the horrors of the world around us.

**A/N:**

**The kid talk finally happened, and I've brought the disease and worry into this as well. :D**

**Review it.**

**-Dee**


	22. Roses and Silk

**A/N:**

**I am so sorry! I know it's been like 2 weeks since my last update, but I've been very busy with work and relationships.**

**Annndddddd there is a link to what the Masen house looks like on my profile right now. :D And you can bet your ass there is already one sitting in my Wordpad files of Edward and Bella's cottage, but you're gonna have to wait a few more chapters to see it :)**

**OH and in case you aren't as imaginative as I am or more likely, I don't do it justice, there is a link on my profile for her dress.**

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**Roses and Satin**

**(Bpov)**

After a dizzying kiss, and my body nearly going limp in his arms, I heard his quiet velvet voice in my ear. He was smiling as my breathing calmed and my hands gripped the fabric of his shirt to steady myself. "I'll see you soon, alright?" Edward whispered, fearing that the hormonal bride might hear us through the thin wall we were hiding behind. We were still at the Masen house, but Rosalie had come over to gather Alice and myself up so we could help her with the final touches on her perfect day.

I felt like pouting when he tried to get away from my hold. "Do you really have to go?" I wondered as I brought his lips to mine again, smiling into the kiss when he pulled me even closer with a groan of his own.

He nodded when we parted, licking his lips when my teeth scraped his neck gently. "I am sorry, but I must. Emmett insists that Jasper and I be there to make sure he doesn't do something stupid."

I snorted, seeing right through that little while lie, "and by Emmett you mean Rosalie?"

He nodded a smirk on his lips. As if _that_ wasn't obvious enough. Of course she'd want someone to keep their eyes on him until he was standing at that alter waiting for her. But she didn't know that Emmett would never abandon her. I'd been living here for nearly three months now and that boy was crazy about her.

"I love you," I blushed like I always did when I admitted that to him. I didn't know why it made me so nervous to wait to hear him say it back, because I knew he always would say it back to me.

He brought my chin up and placed a soft kiss on my nose. Edward could always tell when I was feeling self-conscious or nervous, and he always seemed to know how to make those feelings just disappear. "As I love you, Isabella. Now go, before she breaks down the door and rips us to shreds."

I rolled my eyes at him, but we both headed out of the room we had started sharing. Elizabeth and his father had agreed that since we were about to be married there was no problem in us sharing a room, as long as nothing happened in that room that we'd regret. So Edward moved into the guest room with me, and came home every night to lie beside me, exhausted from the day of building our home with his bare hands. I didn't know what made that so romantic to me, but every time I thought of the cute cottage by the small stream that led into the lake, I nearly exploded with satisfaction.

"There you are," Rose sighed dramatically, "I've been looking all over for you. Come on, we've only got a few hours until I walk down that aisle and I need you and Alice to make me perfect before then," she fretted. Rosalie was always worrying about the stupidest things – like being perfect for her wedding when she was perfect every morning when she woke up as the most beautiful girl on the planet.

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes, "that's gonna be some challenge, huh Alice?" The pixie girl nodded, giving Rose the same expression of disbelief as we pushed her out the door and into the late August sunlight. It was nearing September, and while where I used to live it would be raining and the leaves would be changing already, it was hot and a warm summer breeze still ran through the air.

Rose and Alice babbled on about the dress and our bridesmaid's dresses while we walked the short five blocks to the Hale house. I was gaping up at the giant, looming house in awe. It was four stories high, red with a blue trim around the massive windows, and had a porch twice the size of the Masen's. It was only a short walk up the cobblestone path to get into the ancient Victorian, and when we entered I was bombarded with the smell of oranges and Lilies, but also Roses and Lavender. If I could imagine what heaven smelled like, this would be it.

We entered the large living room and I looked up at the artwork above our heads in wonder. How did people even paint a ceiling? My eyes turned to the expensive looking furniture and I decided that it would be a good idea not to sit down today. I saw a marble staircase and was immediately reminded of Alice's masked party at Jasper's house when Edward tricked me into believing he was someone else. I felt heat rush to my cheeks when I touched the cool surface, but Rose's knowing smirk brought me out of it. Of course, being drunk, I told them everything when I went back into the house and they never let me live it down.

There were people surrounding us, asking Alice and Rose everything as they carried baskets and white flower arrangements out into the expansive backyard. I didn't have much time to marvel at the high ceilings or the marble floors because I was pulled up the stairs by Alice's little hands. Rose's room was on the top floor, and it dominated that top floor. The walls were delicate pink wallpaper and all of her furniture was dark wood, but what I noticed above all else was a beautiful white dress hanging up on a rack just outside of her closet.

It was silk and flowing, but it would hug her body at the same time. The bodice was lined with lace and showed off the sweetheart neckline, but when she turned it to show us the back Alice gasped in approval. It was nearly backless with an intricate lace pattern around the sides that screamed nineteen-twenties or a revival dress for my own time. It was gorgeous, and so very Rosalie that it almost made me giggle. We helped her get it on, and tears pooled in all of our eyes as the thin lace and silk pooled on the ground and hugged her curvy body.

"You are so beautiful, Rosalie." I sighed as she looked at herself in the floor length mirror and her mouth fell open.

Alice went to button up what was there of the back, and Rose held her blonde curls away from the front to get a better look at her shapely body. She smiled and we took that as a cue to start fixing her hair and makeup. Alice placed a cotton sheet over her dress so none of what we were doing would get on it before Emmett could see her looking so beautiful.

Rose was speechless, stunned that she was getting married but also that Alice and I were working so far and hard to make her perfect before we had to go to the church. As I pinned all of the hair except her sweeping bang line away from her face, she spoke. "So," she hesitated with the lace, "do you think he'll like it?"

Alice snorted, rolling her eyes. "I think he's going to explode in his pants when he sees you." She joked, only to get smacked playfully on the arm by the blushing bride.

She sighed when I took the rest of her hair that wasn't held up by the gorgeous white pearls, and folded it over her shoulder so that it was hanging down her back and curled over to the front of her body. She looked beautiful, and Alice and I both knew that as we turned her toward the mirror to see what we'd done.

She put her hands up to her face as we dropped the sheet and she was nearly crying in happiness, but Alice would have none of that. "Don't you dare cry and ruin your makeup, Rosalie Hale," she warned, making both of us laugh at how serious she looked.

"You two are so fucking fantastic," she sighed as she would have if we were back in the two thousands, "but you need to get dressed." She pointed toward the two garment bags on the bed and Alice squeaked as she made her way over to them.

I knew Rosalie's wedding was black and white themed, to go with the scenery outside, so our dresses naturally were jet black, floor length gowns that would make any girls heart race with jealousy. They almost mocked Rosalie's dress, but they were straight silk and covered our chests unlike the lacy white fabric Rose wore.

After I slid the flowing fabric over my body and Alice did the same, a knock came to the door. "Come in," Rose called as she fixed my hair to the way she wanted it. Her dad, a portly gentleman in his mid-forties, came inside in a jet black tuxedo with a smile on his face as he saw his daughter. I'd never met Mr. Hale before, because he was always busy working, but as he looked her over and hugged her gently, I knew that he was a good man that would miss his daughter desperately when she left.

"Everyone is ready," he assured her, "are you?"

She looked over at the both of us, and saw we were holding the flowers we were, so she nodded. "We're ready."

Alice I went first, and after handing her a bouquet of Calla Lilies, we were walking toward the open double doors that led outside. Jasper met Alice, looking stunning in the chic black suit, and they walked a few paces before I made my way to the door as well, and my arm was taken by Edward. Now, I'd seen him many ways, and I was sure that in his most natural form, meaning old jeans and a button up shirt, was when he was sexiest. But I was wrong. I was speechless with how handsome he looked in his fitting black suit with his bronze hair slicked back to look very sophisticated. I almost wondered how it wasn't sticking up, but as we began walking down the line and people started noticing my stare, I blushed and looked to the scenery.

It was midafternoon, and the sun was shining through random spots in the trees to douse the guest in the golden light. There were three rows on each side of the white fabric covering the grass for people sit at, and even a minister standing was standing at the altar, waiting to marry them. The flower girls had come by earlier and spread red and white petals all over the surface. I could see Edward's father sitting in an empty seat, and I knew at any moment now, Elizabeth would come down the aisle on Emmett's arm, only to sit beside her husband and watch one of her children marry the love of his life.

Edward squeezed my hand when we parted and I didn't miss how is eyes roamed my body from where he stood. We were torn away from each other when Emmett came down the aisle, looking very dashing as the only man wearing a white tie. He stood beside Edward and Jasper, nodding toward both of them as he stood and took in a deep breath.

Then when Rose came down the aisle with her father, his face turned into a breathtaking smile that assured me he knew exactly what he wanted. She was crying as she got to him, but I knew no one saw that. They just saw a beautiful young couple, loving each other with their eyes and opening their hearts to everyone here. When the minister began speaking, my eyes drifted to Edward, only to find his were locked on mine too.

I didn't know what it was that made me blush, or made my heart race, but as he stared at me with glowing red passion in his eyes I seemed to know what he was thinking. I could see us in this very same position in only a few weeks' time, and while it scared the shit out of me it also made me ache for that day to finally come. Rose and Emmett smiled before the minister told them they could kiss, and when they did everyone erupted into applause. I hadn't noticed as Edward and I took our walk to the altar that there were quite a lot of people here. Even a few I knew had only been invited by Rose's mother because we couldn't stand Jessica Stanley and her pack of rabid girls.

"Congratulations," I laughed as she hugged me tightly to her chest, still crying from the beauty of it all. She nodded, only to hug Alice and take Emmett's arm for their first dance as a married couple.

People joined them after a few moments, and when I felt a hand on my waist I knew exactly who it was. I turned, wrapping my arms around his neck, and opened my eyes to his green orbs very amused as we swayed out of time with the music. "She looks beautiful," he nodded toward his new sister in law, "and you look worried. What's on your mind," he asked as he pulled me up onto his feet to dance with him.

I blushed, as I always did when he read me so well. "Not worried," I admitted, "just anxious for that to be us." I nodded toward Emmett and Rose and he laughed, shaking his head a few times before he responded.

"I thought you were dreading the day you had to dress up in the white dress and walk down the aisle in front of a dozen or so people?" He was right, and I told him my fear of being in front of crowds not days ago, but seeing how easy it was only made those stupid phobias disappear.

I shrugged, "well I decided it doesn't matter anymore. I want to be yours and I want to see you look that happy to see me when I walk toward you to become yours for the rest of my life." I had the satisfaction of watching him blush a little and flounder for words before he very discreetly kissed my lips and rested his forehead against mine.

He looked at me curiously, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Are you sure it's not just because of the sex?"

I had to hold back my laughter after letting out one loud burst that startled the couple beside us. I giggled as he dragged me away from the dance floor with a sexy, crooked smirk on his lips. "No, really it's because I have found the man that I love," I began and took his face in my hands when we were away from all of the people, "and even though I've only known said man for about three months, I want to be his forever." I ran my hands through his hair, messing it up as I went and finally saw the handsome boy I met my first day here.

He ran his hands down my body, seeming to marvel at how I looked in the black silk. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that you want to be mine and only mine," he growled possessively in my ear, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and goose bumps spread across my skin, "but come on, there's something I need to show you."

"Edward," I objected as he began to drag me away from the party stealthily, "they'll know we're missing!"

He snorted, "no they won't. They're too busy taking pictures of the happy couple to even notice our absence. And I promise that you'll really enjoy this surprise." He winked as if that would make me agree, but what he didn't know was all he had to do was walk away and I'd follow him to the ends of the earth without question.

We walked through the tree-covered neighborhood, giggling that we'd successfully slipped away from Alice's steely hold and Rosalie's worried Bridezilla eye. I didn't know where we were going, but soon we were closer to downtown than before and I couldn't help but clutch the jacket he put around my shoulders. "Where are we going, babe?" I wondered, grabbing his arm tighter as a few men passed us in a rush.

"We are nearly there," he promised, turning a corner into a much more forgiving neighborhood with a café and a few shops. I gave him back his jacket when we went out into the sun and stopped when he did in front of what looked like a very run down building with a big glass window in the front. It was black with white trim around the large window but it looked destroyed. Only the very large, heavy wooden door looked salvageable. I wondered what this was, and when I glanced up at him, he smiled down at the confusion written on my face.

"What's this place?" I wondered, nodding toward the building he obviously wanted to show me.

Edward walked behind me then, wrapping his long arms around my waist as his lips met my neck. I could feel him move closer to my ear, and the words he spoke next made my heart soar. "This is our new bar. I just bought it this morning when you were sleeping in. It needs some work, and a lot of vision to make it the place we want, but I think-"

I crushed my lips to his, silencing the speech about how much it needed when it was already perfect as it was. "I love it," I promised as I pushed him up against the wall and continued my assault on his mouth. He sighed as if he'd been nervous about that all day, and ran his hands through my hair as he kissed me back.

Still unable to believe he'd purchased this business for us to have for our lives, we parted and I looked from him to the building and back a few times before he laughed at how funny I must have looked. "What is it?" He asked, taking my face in his hands before I could do another quick look back and forth.

I hesitated. My mind was still shocked into near silence, and when I finally let out a huge breath, I smiled from ear to ear at him. "How did you afford this?"

He shrugged, "I've spent too many years working with my father under the table and I've saved a considerable amount. It wasn't that expensive anyway, and trust me it needs work, but that'll have to wait until the house is done."

As he spoke, I could see our lives flashing before my eyes, and it wasn't a bad thing. It was a very good thing when I saw us lying around our house in the morning together until we decided it was time to go open the bar at night. I could see us together every day, loving and living together in this time. Having everything we both ever wanted because we found everything we needed in each other. I kissed him again, a softer smile on my lips as the excited feelings were replaced with tenderness.

"Perfect." I wasn't talking about the place, or even what I knew was going to happen in our future when I spoke, but I was speaking of all the feelings lining up inside of me every time he had swept away. Every time he held me close to him I felt a deeper love blossoming in my chest. I didn't need anything but Edward wrapped up in my arms until the end of time, and I knew as I spoke I was speaking of him and everything we were now. And all I could think of in that moment was that nothing in this time or any other would ever take my Edward away from me.

**A/N:**

**So there it is! Sorry it's late! :D**

**And remember there are links on my profile now n_n**

**Review it.**

**-Dee**


	23. Graduation

**And M for Mature guys. It's not a lemon, but it's pretty fucking close to one. :D**

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Graduation**

**(Epov)**

"Surprise!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as my family and our friends turned on the lights abruptly and jumped out from behind various pieces of furniture. Jasper and I had just got back from the house, which was close to being finished, and I had a feeling this night was going to pan out this way. Bella was a rotten secret keeper; I could see the lie and excitement in her eyes this morning when she shrugged and told me she had no idea what I was talking about.

There were fifteen or twenty people here, minus Rosalie and Emmett who were on their honeymoon out in the country, and they were all smiling while talking amongst themselves. I started at my love in wonder, giving her a genuinely confused look. There were blue and white streamers hanging from the exposed wooden beams; there was enough food to feed the entire neighborhood, and surely enough beer to make me forget my irritation at the idea of a party for something as little as graduating high school.

"What's all this?" I wondered as Bella came over to me and kissed my cheek. I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist and pulled her close to my body, loving the way she looked so beautiful without make-up on her face. She'd finally been freed of Rosalie's wedding madness and now she was thrust into our own, but I always loved seeing Bella after Alice let her wash the war paint off her cheeks. She looked more like the scared women I met three months ago that way, and she couldn't have possibly been more beautiful.

She rubbed some dirt off my brow and shook her head. "Have you already forgotten you graduated high school this morning?"

That explained why everyone was dressed so casually, also it proved my theory from before, and it also explained why the diploma I'd obtained was framed and sitting as a centerpiece on the fireplace mantle. "No I hadn't forgotten," I assured her, pulling her flush against me, "I just hoped that you were lying about me looking alright in these pants this morning, not about this party." She rolled her eyes and smacked my chest playfully before I took her lips in mine.

Everything melted away then, and all that I could see were my hands gripping her small hips; the way her eyes bulged out of her skull when she felt my manhood pressing into her eagerly. It only took one touch and I was already almost lost in the familiar world that was Bella. I knew I wouldn't last much longer: one day I was going to lose control and take her in every way I could imagine.

My mother decided to come over then, rolling her eyes as she saw what state I was in. "Oh Edward," she dusted dirt flecks off of my shoulder and frowned, "go upstairs and change. Oh and please take Jasper with you." She glowered at the Texan, who looked ten times worse than I did in the filthy department. He grinned over at me from the comfort of Alice's arms, and stood up, apologizing to the little lady as he did so.

We walked upstairs without another word and I washed all of the dirt off my body, thankful for the time alone after today. It had been exhausting, and being honest with myself, I just wanted to hold my Bella and sleep for the rest of the day. Jasper and I finished the outside of the house Bella and I planned to live in for the rest of our lives, and most of the inside had already been finished when Emmett was here. I hoped she liked it. I really hoped she'd see it and tell me she wanted to be there with me forever, just like we talked about. It all seemed like talk until I saw the looming house in the middle of the trees by the stream. Now it seemed very real, and all of a sudden I was a man who would do anything with these hands to make his wife smile. I'd give her the world if I could.

It had been nearly a month since we started construction, and it was nearing the second week of September now. Her birthday was soon, and I really hoped to be married before then so I could give her a proper present, and love her the right way: the way we both wanted to be loved by each other. My mother said she could throw something together in a couple of weeks, but looking down at my body I knew I couldn't take a few more weeks of her tempting me with her touches. My responsibility and morality only went so far, after all.

"Hey," a small voice came through the bathroom door, "can I come in?" I was only in a towel, but I knew that voice and I didn't mind if she was here with me. I blushed when she opened the door slightly and took in my frame.

"Sure," I responded in a soft voice. Before either of us could speak, she was tracing lines in my back. I leaned into her touch, smirking at how innocent it was but how easily that very touch could arouse me. She seemed to notice, and her hand wrapped around my hips, dipping below my towel.

I gasped and grabbed it just as she circled the shaft and I looked behind me to see her brown eyes glowing with excitement. "Bella there are a dozen people downstairs-"

"So?" she wondered, running her hand up and down a few times until my eyes shut and I could feel the warmth inside of my stomach moving downward. I pushed her up against the wall as gently as I could with a growl in my chest, and felt her hand still wrapped tightly around me; gently moving back and forth, tempting me far beyond anything I could imagine.

I couldn't help the moan that came from my lips as my hands ran down her front and into her pants. My hand ran across her panties, feeling hot moisture through them that made my mouth fall open. She gasped my name as my fingers moved past the thin fabric and I felt her hand move faster across my hard member, bringing me closer to the edge. She bit down on my neck roughly; I licked across her collar bone and hitched my hand under her thigh, bringing her center closer to my aching member.

The towel fell off my hips, our moans filled the room, and she started kissing down my bare chest hungrily. I stopped her greedy lips before they went any further, my eyes bugging out of my head because she licked her lips and blushed. She gave me that look, and I knew that look meant I needed to trust her in this most unladylike act. The horny part of me beat the moral one down with a stick until I let her face go and she went lower. My eyes shut as her warm mouth circled the head of my erection, and my hand gripped her hair as she began running her ruby red lips across the length of it.

I could feel myself coming closer to my end. This had to be the most erotic moment of my life: there were a lot of people downstairs, and anyone could walk in. I was sure nothing would ever match the sneaky passing coming from this moment. The pit in my stomach started rising and growing as her teeth scraped across the underside and her tongue flicked around the tip. Her eyes met mine and before I could pull her away, I let go in her hot mouth, cursing through the groans. She smiled and licked her lips, moaning at the taste, and successfully made my stiff member ache with desire again. She kissed up my chest until her lips met mine again in a soft kiss.

"Bella that was-" I couldn't even form words for what _that_ was. She giggled in my ear and kissed the hollow of my neck sweetly before looking into my eyes. A knock came to the door, and I could tell by how many times she knocked, that it was Alice. We'd been caught, and this was the moment to go back downstairs before anyone else noticed.

"Damn that pixie and her clairvoyant ways," Bella cursed, smiling before she responded to what I had said before.

"It was something," she handed me my towel before she opened the door, "that I _definitely_ want to do again." My mouth dropped open when she looked over my naked body with hungry eyes and bit her lip gently. I felt myself harden again, even after she blew me a kiss and shut the door tightly behind her.

After a few moments of heavy breathing and trying to get my body to calm the fuck down, I pulled on some clean trousers and a shirt. I walked down the steps into the living room cautiously. I was still light headed from whatever just happened to me, and I couldn't believe I even allowed it to happen. Usually I was so careful. I was the moral one in this relationship, and I accepted that, but having her take me like that awoken something primal in me. Something I didn't even know existed until that happened.

"Edward," Alice startled me and I hadn't realized I was in the living room until I looked up and saw her thin face smiling at me. "Come on, we've got beer and cake. What could be better?" She laughed, lacing her little arm through mine.

I could think of a few things. One of which had just happened upstairs.

Bella caught my eye, looking so beautiful, as she smiled and laughed with a girl from the neighborhood. She saw me as well and smiled while her cheeks heated up; giving me the most delicious looking blush I'd ever seen. Why was she blushing now? Shouldn't she have been blushing before? I shook my head, went over to the pair of girls, and stole her away from Angela Webber, a girl I had always thought to be very under spoken and sweet. I placed her on the tops of my feet. Bella's head met my chest and I could smell alcohol on her lips, but it didn't bother me anymore. I couldn't remember a time when her drinking ever had, though. It was a part of her, and I loved it.

A song I'd heard many times came to the piano then, and when I looked up I saw Alice walking away from the man at the piano. Bella smiled against my chest and sighed out the name of my favorite song. "Claire de Lune." I pulled her closer as people started walking away from where we were dancing.

I spun her a few times, in perfect time with the slow love song that always reminded me of her smile when I played it now. I knew someone in the family had done this, and it was probably Alice, so I'd have to thank her for giving me this moment. Graduating wasn't important to me, but seeing Bella happy in front of all our friends and neighbors did.

She leaned against my chest again, holding my hands in hers. "Is it finished?" Her voice sounded anxious, and I knew it was because she wanted to get our wedding moving along as fast as possible. She of course was wondering about the house, the same one that I finished putting the last nail into today. I let my hand gather in the soft silky fabric of her shirt and held her close.

"Nearly, it's only missing the things to go inside of it, and I've told Alice she can have her fun with that." I dipped her down gently, always holding on to her so her clumsiness didn't kill us both.

"Oh joy," she grumbled, coming back up to me as the song slowed and came to a close. She always hated anything about design if it had Alice before it, but I was sure that was because she'd been whisked away to at least a hundred wedding places, looking for the perfect dress. I could've cared less if she showed up in a burlap sack. Of course, when I said that I was beat down by my little sister, so I shut up and let her have her way.

We stared at each other, not really noticing that most of the people had left now. They congratulated me, took some of the food, and began talking to my parents, but I didn't seem to notice them at all. I was lost in those caramel eyes, or maybe I had simply found myself in them and I didn't want to come back to the world ever again. I ran my hand down her cheek, marveling at how soft it was to the touch, and brought her lips to mine. She was hot to the touch, which told me she was blushing, and we only parted because my father came over and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Son," he sighed, "if you two ever need anything, your mother and I are here, alright?" He looked me square in the face, and I knew he meant every word. They worried that opening a business wasn't the best idea, but I was quite sure people around here had taken up drinking a long time ago and had no plan to stop.

My mother came to his side, putting her hand on his chest when he wrapped his arm around her. Bella nodded at both of them, speaking for both of us. "Mr. and Mrs. Masen," she started, "you two have been more than hospitable and kind to me, and I'm so happy you're letting me love your son the way I do. I promise I will always take care of him, even after I know he can take care of himself. We're family, and if there's ever anything the two of you need, we won't be far." She smiled, wrapping her arm through mine as my parents grinned tenderly back at us.

"I think it's time we head to bed, Beth," my father sighed, "now don't stay up too late, kids." He pretended to scowl at us before they both went up the steps and disappeared from our sight. Alice and Jasper had vanished sometime during everyone's departure, and I was sure they were either back at his mansion or in her room.

"I'm actually glad I missed most of that party," I admitted to her. She smirked at me and poked my nose gingerly.

"Of course you are my lovely hermit. I swear if it was up to you, we'd never leave our bedroom-" I nodded before she could even finish her statement and she pushed me down on the couch. She sat on my lap, her face pressing against my neck, and before I knew it my love was sleeping in my arms as I rubbed circles across her back.

With my spare hand, I shut off the small table lamp and carried her in my arms up the stairs. I'd always worried about how thin she was, and when I held her and felt all of the bones in her back and ribs I began plotting on how to get her to eat more but by the time I got to our bedroom, she was clutching my shirt and whimpering incoherent words into my chest. She always talked in her dreams, even in her nightmares, and I loved listening when they were pleasant.

We lie in our bed, her soft curls brushing up against my face as I held her close to my chest, and I sighed contentedly. If there were more moments like this in the world, I doubted there would ever be war. My eyes shut, my arms tightened around her, but not for long.

**(Bpov)**

It was different this time. I knew I was in a nightmare, because I felt so cold and alone in this darkness, but this time I wasn't. A hand touched my shoulder as my fingers ran across his name written in granite. My eyes connected with confused golden orbs that held an ancient sadness I would never understand. He was a man I didn't know, but as he spoke, his voice as soft as bells I couldn't help but be mesmerized.

"Who are you?" He whispered his voice like a summer breeze in our meadow. It stung my heart for some reason, to hear this man be so confused about who I was.

"No one anymore," I choked out as I looked at the gravestone, "just a memory." I'd seen this sight so many times that my heart was already broken, and at last I could speak.

He took my hand as I started to wander away from the gray stone with the name that had been washed away with time. His voice was low, very direct, and when I looked at his beautiful face again, I was almost frightened by the intensity. He took my cheek in his hand, and let out a strangled breath as if it was the most delicate thing he'd ever touched. I saw tears in his eyes but they didn't fall down his cheeks even though he spoke as if he were sobbing. "I can't do this."

"Who are you?" I wondered, unable to keep my hands off his pale skin any longer.

He flinched at my touch and at the same time I twitched at the cold feeling of his cheek. He moved away from me, frowning and shaking his head as if what was happening was impossible. He was so conflicted, and so was I. why would he look at me, as if he knew the inside of my soul, and then tell me he couldn't stay? Why did my heart race like it did whenever Edward's hands would run across my skin?

I grabbed his forearm, determined to know who this man with the golden eyes and bronze hair just like my Edward's was. "Get out of here," he seemed to snarl the words like a lion if it could talk.

Fear gripped me, but I stood firmly planted beside the man. "No-"

I was in his arms then, the golden orbs had faded to black almost instantly, and he whispered in my ear. "I'm a monster," he mumbled, sniffing the skin of my exposed neck like it was the finest wine. I shivered, frightened into speechlessness. My hands trembled as they ran through those bronze locks, so much like my Edward's. At least I'd think of him before I died, and I'd be with him soon.

Before I could speak my last words, before I could even think them, the man bit down and moaned at the taste of my blood. I gasped loudly while my body went limp, paralyzed with the fire in my veins. He sat me on the ground, tears ever present in his eyes, and when he looked at me I saw the boy that kissed me until I was dizzy; the same boy that held me tight every night. I smiled at him, just as my body turned numb and blackness surrounded my vision. "Finally," I choked out, "I'll be with you, Edward," my voice was low and it gurgled from choking on my own blood, but I felt no pain as I watch him hold his hand out to me, smiling his crooked grin from behind the yellow light. I knew that strong jaw-line and I knew all too well the love in his eyes as he saw me coming closer.

My attention was brought back to my body, and the vision of Edward vanished as I watched the man who murdered me for my blood, beg for my life back. "No, please," he mumbled, trying to find my pulse, but I was now looking down at the broken man as he worked over my corpse, "no!" His shouting echoed through my entire body, and everything went black.

Jolting awake, I felt coldness all around my body. I wasn't in bed, where Edward had lied me after the party, but in the yard. I was by the creek that ran into the lake, and I was standing in the pale moonlight. There were tears running down my cheeks, a sting in my neck, and when I touched it I felt it overheated and warm, but a sting in my arms and legs brought me back to reality. Blood dripped off my feet and hands, like I'd been crawling in the rocks at my feet.

"What the fuck?" I wondered, grabbing the white nightgown around my ankles, just in time to see someone running toward me. My eyes widened in the night, fearing the shadow that came closer, but I was frozen into place. I couldn't even breathe as it approached me. It was the man from my dreams; I knew it had to be. He'd come back to murder me, finish his work from the spell in my mind.

"Bella?" Edward's frantic voice opened my eyes, which had squeezed shut in terror. I peered to see the shadow morph into him as he came into the moonlight, worry on his face.

"I can explain-" I tried, but he just shook his head.

"You're going to a doctor. Now. You're bleeding this time, and I'm sure those cuts," he gestured to my feet as he scooped me up in his arms, "need stitches. Maybe he can tell us why your nightmares have led you to wander the woods, as well." I shrugged off the bitter worry in his voice, because I knew it for what it was. He wasn't mad at me, but at whatever was troubling my mind. I could never tell him what that was, though. Not in this lifetime at least.

The drive to the hospital seemed to thaw him out, and I rested my head on his chest as he carried me inside. The nurses saw my state, and reacted almost instantly, until we explained what the cuts were and why I looked like a murder victim covered in mud, twigs, and my own blood. "I'm sorry, Edward. I don't know why this keeps happening-"

"What are they about?" He wondered, looking at the wall opposite where we sat in the doctor's office. His jaw was taught, his eyes were full of fire, but his expression was controlled. He wanted to know what plagued my mind, and I couldn't tell him.

"You and me, mostly they're rather disturbing. I'm standing over your grave, sobbing, and begging for whatever God there is to bring you back to me. But this time," I hesitated, "there was a man."

"A man?" He questioned skeptically.

I nodded, blushing at how stupid it would sound to describe my life getting sucked away from me by a sexy Nosferatu. "He was with me at the grave. He asked me who I was, then he tipped me back and," I bit my lip as his eyebrow raised questionably, "bit my neck."

"So your dreams are about you and another man after I've died?" He sounded hurt, and I shook my head quickly.

"No," I insisted, "he killed me. He, uh, he sucked my blood."

He was very silent for a moment, looking at me with wide eyes. I couldn't decipher the confused and skeptical expression on his face, but he looked amused when he finally spoke. "So you have dreams about me being killed, then you being murdered by Dracula?"

"Yes, but you always die in my dreams," I waved it off and he snorted, "and this was the first time that Dracula came into the picture."

He smiled, wrapping his arms around me sweetly. I didn't know what about this whole situation made him smile like that, or hold me tight, but I wasn't going to complain. "I promise I won't ever die and leave you alone here Bella. Not until we're very old and both ready to go. As for the vampire thing," he laughed, "I'm pretty sure that was all the booze you drank at the party. You know those things aren't real-"

As if on cue, the doctor opened the door, smiling down at the both of us. He had golden hair that was slicked back like most doctors, but his skin was as pale as mine, if not more so, and his smile was white. He was beautiful, probably in his late twenties or early thirties, and I looked away shyly when he glanced over at me. "Hello Miss…Swan, and you are?" He looked at Edward quizzically.

"Edward Masen," he shook the doctor's hand, "I'm her fiancé."

"Oh," he smiled again, "well it's nice to meet you both. I'm Doctor Cullen, but you can just call me Carlisle." He examined the bottoms of my feet quickly, looking at them for any signs that I may need stitches.

He frowned as he moved to my hands, which had been cut all the way up to my forearms. "How in the world did this happen to you?"

I laughed, shaking my head as he took out a needle. "It's a funny story, really. I sleepwalk, and this time he found me in the woods behind his house, unaware of anything going on around me." I winced when he started sewing up one of the cuts on my wrist.

"That's quite uncommon," he pondered, "but if you'd like I can prescribe you a nightly mix to put in a glass of water and it will help you stay calm while you sleep. Just so this," he tapped the wide cut, "doesn't happen again."

His eyes met mine and I gasped, feeling the same calm tranquility as I did in the dream when the man turned to me with golden eyes. They were the same, but Carlisle's looked controlled, even friendly. I didn't fear them, but I wondered what the hell would cause me to dream of a man I'd never met before in my life, and just by coincidence that said man had the same eye color as my doctor. He seemed to notice my staring, and he looked back down to examine the rest of my arms.

"Well that looks like the worst of it," he tapped the tiny cut and looked in my eyes as if he knew me again, "but you should come back in if you feel and discomfort or have any ooze coming out of them."

Edward seemed to notice the silence as the doctor and I stared, me curious, him a little fearful, but when our gaze broke, he smiled at my fiancé. "You can pick this up," he wrote out on a piece of paper, "at the front desk pharmacy." He tore it off and handed the strip to Edward before he looked back over at me.

"It was nice meeting the both of you. You need to be more careful, Miss Swan." He grinned again, his golden eyes sparkling as he left the room, and I let out a deep breath when he was out of sight.

"Damn," Edward laughed, "I guess the thing about doctor's having cold hands is true." He rubbed his hands together before helping me up, but I was still stunned by his words, even after we'd started walking down the white halls. Golden eyes and cold skin? Was he a monster like the broken man in my dreams?

"That's impossible, Bella. There's no such thing as," I spat the word, "_vampires_." What the hell was the matter with me? So the doctor had golden brown eyes and cold skin; I was sure a lot of doctor's here did. I wrapped Edward's jacket around my body after he picked up the medicine from the snooty girl at the desk and we entered the cool Chicago night.

As quietly as we could, we snuck back into the large house. Edward prepared the mixture for me, and I tasted the foul liquid bravely. If it would help me sleep, and take the edge out of Edward's voice, I'd do it a thousand times over. My feet had bandages wrapped around them, as did my wrists and hands, so I knew Alice was going to be furious at me until they were taken off. She wanted me wedding to be perfect, and me looking like a burn victim wasn't the best way to make her dreams come true.

Arms wrapped around my waist and I was lifted into Edward's warm arms. I was very thankful to be away from the cold skinned men around me, and even more thankful to see his green eyes had softened. "Let's get some sleep," he asked me as if it was up to me, and I swatted his shit-eating grin away playfully.

"Thank you." I kissed his hand when it wrapped around me and pulled me close. Unlike the man in my dreams, my heart warmed when he kissed my neck and sighed lightly. He was already asleep, and I didn't blame him for it. My eyes drooped when I turned and rested against his chest, hoping that by morning I would still be locked safely in his embrace.

**A/N:**

**So I think u can see why the AH was removed! :D**

**I just love Carlisle too much to leave him out of the fun n_n**

**Review it!**

**-Dee**


	24. Enchanted

**A/N: Ahhhhh this is so late, I know! I'm sorry guys! And I've got some not so bad but not so good news. My husband is going in for surgery on the 9th, so I'll be home for the next two weeks but I'll only be able to publish once or twice a week for the next two weeks. :) Sorry, he kinda comes before my strange obsession with this story.**

**OH and we've officially gone to lemon status *smirk* It's gonna be good. M and all that.**

**Thanks for reading, and I promise to update sooner next time! :D**

**-PandaDee**

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**Enchanted**

**(Bpov)**

_August 31st, 1918_

_...Today's the day._

I felt so _right_ as I stared at myself in the tall, white vanity. I was taking in everything Alice and Rosalie had done before they left me here to mentally prepare myself for the tragedy that was sure to come. My hair cascaded down my front and billowed across my back; my eyes, glimmering with excitement, were rimmed by thick lashes; my lips were unstained by any color but their own; my skin was like cream and then like roses where I'd blush; my stomach, covered by the flowing fabric of my dress was tied in knots, but my heart fluttered with anticipation and desire. I wanted this. I wanted _him_. And today was the day we'd both get exactly what we wanted the most.

"Forever," I whispered as if to finish my own thoughts in words. I stood up and turned away from the stranger in the mirror. Everything was so surreal; my eyes roamed the room, decorated in lace, and I could help but run my hands across the fabric. I'd remember everything from today: every touch, every smell, every new feeling boiling inside of my stomach. Half past three I turned toward the tall, white door and heard Alice's voice in my head:

_"Come down the steps and follow the path into the woods. Don't be late."_

"Don't be late." The woman inside of me stood firmly on the subject while the teenager wanted to run away screaming until she found herself back in a time where doing this at eighteen was wrong. Needless to say the woman won and I curiously exited the room that was saturated with the smell of patchouli and strawberries. I hadn't seen the house for hours but even in my trance-like state I could hear people working all around me.

The house was quiet, but I didn't expect to hear anyone in the first place. I walked into the hallway; the soft sound of my flat shoes against the wooden floors grew louder with each step I took. My heart fluttered as I came closer to the staircase. In the living room there were no signs of anything special happening this August, except the gentle breeze coming from the open front door, and the soft white rose petals spread across the grass in front of the house. They continued across the street, leading me to a place I could find with my eyes shut. The sun was low in the sky and twilight approached the city, but I crossed the street confidently, my head held high as the uninvited stared at me like I was insane in my long white gown. I reached out to the trees and ran my hands across the ancient bark on either side of the rose-covered path, forever remembering the way they felt on my fingertips. I tasted the honey-coated air and savored the way it felt like tasting the sun with my lips. I watched with eager anticipation as each step took my further into the woods.

Music could be heard from up ahead: a soft melody that sounded like a dream just before sunrise. I smiled as I approached the bend in the trail and saw the thicket had been opened and tied up in silky white gossamer. I could smell the perfume from the summer flowers; it was a perfect mixture of freesia from the meadow, lavender and oranges in bloom, wild roses, and sun-kissed honey. The forest floor was the aisle, and on either side of it sat benches that seemed to be made from the forest themselves. They were weaved of branches and lace, and even the family and friends around me were enchanted by the moment. They all looked up as the lost bride, holding a bouquet of summer wild flowers, found herself just in the right place.

But I barely noticed there were any people in the sacred meadow that had come so close to my heart. The altar, set on the other side of the meadow, was under the cherry trees we'd spent so many hours lying under since I'd come here. People smiled, whispered about how uncanny it was for me to be alone and wandering through the woods on this day, but I only saw my Edward under those pink blossoms and my heart began sputtering enthusiastically.

He was dressed in a simple black suit, but I saw him with messy hair and tattered brown trousers with his white button up shirt that had seen better days, but that was because _that_ was the man I'd fallen in love with and would see every day for the rest of my life. He turned away from Emmett when he heard the whispers from the guests. I could hear their words of inappropriate dissatisfaction, but I didn't care what they thought. I felt like a girl meeting the boy of her dreams in the forest, and I was taken with the moment in a way I never thought I would be.

The guests stood when Emmett headed toward me in a respectful manner, and I took his arm eagerly. He would be the one to walk me down the aisle today because it was tradition for someone to do it, and I smiled up at the giant man as the small band began to play Pachelbel's Canon softly. Rose and Alice stood opposite Jasper, holding white lilies and wildflower bouquets that equaled mine and when we got close enough, Emmett joined him one Edward's side. That had to be the moment that I got lost in the world where only Edward and I existed.

I could see the sun peering down through the canopy of branches and ribbon, staining the green grass with gold streaks of light. I looked down at the crowd and saw empty benches like it was just Edward and I spending another endless day in the meadow. I could hear the minister speaking, but I was gone in his watery green eyes as they loved me like mine adored him. I was home when his hands reached across the altar and took mine gently, squeezing them in reassurance and eternal thanks for saying yes to him and only him. It was the perfect moment, even when tears spilled over the brims of my eyes and stained my painted cheeks. I'd been waiting for what felt like a very long time for this day to come, and Alice was right: it was perfect and worth all the waiting.

"Edward," the minister got his attention, but only just, "do you take Bella to be yours forever?" He asked, using the words we had asked him to replace with the traditional vows. He smiled at the both of us when the magic between us broke for a moment and Edward nodded stupidly.

He smirked crookedly at me like he was telling me, not the minister, that he wanted this just as much as I did. "I do." My heart fluttered at the words and my stomach did little flips as the butterflies soared through me. I'd never felt such undeniable joy in my entire life.

"Bella," he turned to me then and my cheeks heated up feverishly, "do you take Edward to be yours forever?" There was no hesitation in my mind. I knew exactly what I wanted, what I needed.

I bit my bottom lip as I tried to hold back the smile, but the words bubbled out of me at the same time it did. I didn't care that I sounded like a lovesick teenager: I was. "I do." Edward's eyes lit up and his smile was just as blinding as mine was. Delayed flashes came from the crowd as if to capture the moment we'd just shared. Edward slid the ring on my finger, and I did the same to him, sealing our fates at last.

The minister smiled then, gesturing to both of us. "Then by the power vested in me by the state of Illinois, I pronounce you man and wife. Edward," he looked at my _husband_, it tickled my tongue to whisper the word to myself, and said the words that I'd never forget, "you may kiss your bride."

My eyes left the man beside us, and everything melted away. The forest sang in approval for us; the wind kissed our faces, even after he took mine in his hands, and I felt like the world itself was joyous that we'd finally been drawn together in a way that was as old as time. He took a step closer, still smiling at me softly. "My Bella," he whispered as if he was in awe from seeing me as his wife.

I nodded, fighting back tears of love and sadness. It was the good kind of sadness that everyone needed and wanted on a wedding day. I kissed his fingers as they ran across my cheeks adoringly. "My Edward," I promised, stepping closer to him as well. Our chests were touching, our band covered hands met between us, his arm wrapped around my waist and my fingers played with the small, bronze hairs on the back of his neck; we absorbed the moments, the seconds, before our lips met tenderly between us.

It wasn't just another kiss between us. It was all of the love, all of the festive, pent-up energy inside of us coming out in front of everyone. His lips parted and I couldn't seem to get close enough to taste him. It was like fire had begun to burn my lips and the icy tickle of lust began to rush through my veins. His hands gripped the chiffon fabric around me, my fingers ran down his chest and rested just above his heart, until Emmett's boisterous laughter brought us out of the strange trance we'd been in as we kissed. My blush had to be the most prominent feature on my face, even as I looked at my grandma in the front row. She rose and eyebrow, smirked at me, but when she winked I lost it and had to look away before my face became permanently red.

"Dance with me," he paused with a devious smirk as he whispered the last part in my ear, "Mrs. Masen?" I swatted him away, rolling my eyes at him as the butterflies in my stomach rushed to my chest. I took his hand, thankful that I was wearing very thing shoes, and we moved to the small patch of grass that had been cut down just for this occasion.

The band began to play Claire de Lune, the song we'd danced to on countless nights under the moon together. As always, he pulled me on the tops of his feet, but held me much closer and pressed his lips to the hollow of my neck. I blushed and let my head fall on his chest, feeling even more connected to him than ever before. People joined after a few moments, mingling as they fawned and gossiped over how lovesick we were. I bit my lip as his smile widened and he whispered in my ear again, this time words of relief. "I'm sure everyone has stopped staring, would you like to get a beer with me?"

He chuckled when I hopped off his feet eagerly, nodding for any relief to the knots in my stomach. "So much."

We walked away from the dance floor, laughing at how our friends danced to the music perfectly while we just kind of swayed awkwardly in our own bubble of lust and love. He cracked open two beers, handed me one, and we sat down at the bride and groom table to listen to the town gossip away about the Masen boy marrying the strange girl from New York. I rested my head on his shoulder after we linked arms.

He tiled my head up, caught my lips in his, and we both moaned at the no longer forbidden contact. I felt lust rush to my stomach and steam over the love I'd felt all day. My tongue slid past his pink lips, tasting him as our tongues fought for dominance. His hands ran up my torso, feeling every inch of my skin through the dress until a voice broke us apart. "A little eager to start the wedding night already, are we Edward?" She laughed at us and I could hear the amusement in her familiar voice.

I opened my eyes, blinking to clear the haze form then, and saw my grandma Marie standing there in all of her glory. She always looked so much like a movie star. "Grandma," I laughed at our private joke and she rolled her eyes as we embraced, "I'm so glad you're here."

"Oh honey me too," she laughed, "I'm only sorry your grandfather isn't." She looked up at the sky, rolling her eyes in the process. She waved to Edward when he stood, looking rather uncomfortable. I chuckled at him and laced my arm through his as she stepped back a few steps.

"What?" We asked simultaneously, tilting our heads at the same time she crossed her arms.

She smirked, sighing happily. "Just want to get a better look at you two. You're so perfect together, you know that? Ugh it almost makes me sick," Marie smiled and came forward again, kissing my cheek in doing so, "and you have a good night, dear. Love him always and let him love you just the same, alright?" She whispered the last part to me as we hugged, and when I nodded, a bit teary eyed; she let me go.

"Edward, you best make a woman outta her tonight, ya hear?" She drawled, raising her eyebrows a few times. The women around us gasped in disbelief but Grandma Marie just shrugged them off without a second thought. He was as red as I felt when he nodded, stammering to find the right words. She patted his shoulder and hugged him too. "I've gotta be heading back to the city now. The sitter said she'd only stay until Monday, and I wanna do a bit of gambling while I'm here. See you soon, Bella. Edward." She nodded to him and her head rose proudly as she passed the town hens, clucking away at how unladylike she was.

"I swear I love that woman more every time I see her," I admitted foolishly, but Edward didn't see through the façade, only laughed with me. He nuzzled my cheek and pressed a heated kiss to my lips, bringing the forgotten lust back quicker than it had gone.

"How much longer must we stay?" He groaned as one of my hands ran inside of his coat to touch the muscles under his shirt and the other cupped his neck, bringing him close as our lips connected again. I felt his thick length poking me through his trousers and his green eyes were black with want as we stared at each other. It was almost like two wolves finding their forever mates, and we were only waiting for the minutes it would take for us to become one.

"Until Alice rushes us off because she's sick of our presence here," I grumbled, gasping when his lips moved to the inside of my neck. His teeth scraped the skin, biting down and marking me as his. I shivered at his possessive actions, melting into his strong hold. He was so warm against my cool skin, and I felt my eyes flutter shut as his hand ran up and down my bare back, sparking a trail of electricity with each touch.

"Fuck," I whimpered, opening my eyes to see him panting above me as my hands ran down his chest. It was then that I noticed people were staring with wide eyes. His cheeks flushed a delicious shade of crimson and he showed me that he wasn't always the perfect gentleman. The boy did things to me: bad things that were so incredibly good at the same time.

A woman I recognized all too well from her fiery red hair spoke next. "Entirely inappropriate at a social event." She frowned at both of us, as if we'd made a complete mockery out of the whole idea of marriage. She must have been Victoria's mother, because the girl was right on her heels as she entered the meadow. I offered my hand, which she denied with a disgusted grimace, but even her brooding mood couldn't break my happiness.

"You must be Victoria's mother," I paused and looked over the plump woman, but spoke in a more discreet voice, "the one who lets her out of her cage." Edward snorted, trying very hard not to squirt alcohol out of his nose as he laughed. We'd come up with a joke for the heathen couple a few weeks ago, claiming that their parents only let them out at night to feast on the souls of the innocent while they made out and fucked in the baseball diamond. It actually caught on quite nicely in the Masen house; even Elizabeth cracked a smile at it.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," she insisted pompously, "but since it is your wedding day I will humor you with whatever you're snickering about. Now, where can I find some more _deserving _company?" My mouth fell open the same time Edward's did, and the woman passed us for the horrendous women that had been making comments about my dress, about my hair, about how whorish I looked, even on my own wedding day.

"No," Edward cut in as I grabbed the knife we'd been using to cut the wedding cake and took a few steps toward the woman in deep purple, "she irks me as well, but if you stab her Alice will kill _you_ for getting blood on that pretty dress." His hands fisted the white material at my hips and with one kiss of his lips I was back in the state of pure elation where nothing and no one could ever bother me again. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he picked me up in his arms, dragging me to the dance floor in favor of more "_deserving"_ company.

I looked over his shoulder and spotted the sun just going down over the trees, which meant the party would be moved to the Masen house. The band began to move, the men carried the large cake, and Edward and I were left alone in the twilight meadow. Alice was at the mouth of the entrance. "Twenty minutes and we're seeing you two off. You should be at the house by then, okay?" She took our silence as a yes and disappeared beyond the thicket.

"Mrs. Masen," he whispered, touching my cheeks as the remaining rays of sun swept over me, "I've never felt so complete." He sighed and I rested my head on his shoulder, brushed my lips against his neck, and swayed to the sound of distant music continued at our wedding party.

My eyes met his, untainted by anything but the love we shared, and I kept them open even as our lips met softly. "Neither have I," I mumbled against them, feeling the vibrations all through my body as he moaned into my mouth.

"My Bella," he chanted my name as if it were a prayer, and my heart raced with affection, "my love," he whispered it like a dark secret, "my life," he kissed each of my eyes tenderly and rested his forehead against mine, "my everything." I could feel his heart beat beneath my fingertips, taste his scent in my mouth.

My voice was delicate and softer as I spoke. "Never let me go," I begged, "I'm yours forever now. You can't ever let me go." He smiled and wrapped his arms around my waist as my erratic breathing steadied; tears of joy pooled in my eyes and ran down my cheeks.

"Never," he swore, "I'll always be your Edward and I could never let you go. I'm not strong enough." He shook his head and gathered me in his arms. I stood on my tip-toes, my arms wrapped tightly around his neck at the altar where we swore our lives to each other for the rest of time, and I placed my lips very gently against his.

"Bella and Edward Masen I told you twenty minutes and I won't let you ruin this wedding because you're making out _or_ fucking in a meadow!" Alice's shrill voice seemed to be getting closer, and I knew the path would lead her right to us, but Edward didn't seem to care too much, so I didn't seem to care too much. My lips were busy on his, twisted in passion and warmth, but when she pulled us apart by our ears we grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Edward broke free first and gathered me up into his arms. "Alice, why do you have to be so god damn _annoying_?"

The pixie snarled then, showing her bright teeth in the process. She began pushing him out of the meadow and down the path. "Because I spent too much damn time waiting for this day to happen and I won't have it ruined because the bride and groom are horny motherfuckers-" By now, we'd reached the house, and what Alice didn't expect was her mother standing on the front porch, tapping her foot disapprovingly.

"Mary Alice!" Elizabeth scolded, "I _know _I did not just hear such language coming from your mouth! Leave them be, they're happy and in love," she smiled tenderly at us before dragging Alice back into the house, "but really children, come. Everyone is ready to see you off before the sun goes down."

Everyone stood on either side of a dirt trail in the backyard as we came out. They cheered and wished us the best in our life, throwing rice in the air, but to my surprise the path was not the road they men had been building for months: it was a path that led into the woods, and at the start of that path there were two massive cherry blossom trees I'd never noticed before. I looked back and saw every face of the family, my family, _our_ family, smiling back at us as Edward took my hand.

I knew that this path had to lead to our home because it looked almost as magical as I had felt this day. My nervousness set in when I realized this was the house I hadn't seen since they had put the walls up outside, and my mind desperately wanted to see what it looked like finished, to make it ours, to put it away in my mind, just in case I ever did leave after this place, and most of all, to love him for the first time inside of those warm walls.

He offered me his arm and I smiled, taking it willingly as we started down the sunny trail. People from the party behind us cheered and threw more rice in the air, bidding us good evening with their smiles and laughter. Emmett even winked, grabbing Rosalie's waist from behind her with his devilish smirk. I blushed, and so did Edward, but no one else seemed to notice his crude way of saying have a good night to us. It was almost as obvious as Grandma Marie's way of saying it.

"Are you ready?" Edward whispered, his arm wrapping around my waist. It was as if time had stopped and I was seeing everything but him in slow motion. I reached up to press my lips to his, getting an even louder cheer from the family and friend around us. I nodded when he wiped a tear off my cheek and kissed my fingers sweetly.

I scooped up the fabric around my legs, and followed him through the green trees covered in thick moss, across the stones in the path, until I saw a stone wall that looked older than time itself accompanied by two more of the ancient looking cherry trees. There was an arch of tree branches with flowers and honeysuckle hanging across them, and through that bend I saw a small, red cottage peeking through the trees on top of a hill beside the lake. There were summer flowers in bloom on either side of the beaten road, grown out to be waist high, until they got to the stream where they thinned out and died off in the cool water. It was like a scene from a fairy tale I'd never read because it hadn't happened yet.

"This is the same house you started two months ago?" I gaped at it, but before he answered me, he scooped me up in his arms bridal style.

"The very same," he smirked after hearing my squeak of surprise, "but now it's ours." My eyes widened as they caught the light from inside the large front window and he didn't even bother to set me down as we crossed the threshold into the fire-lit house.

How I wished I could have marveled at the stone fireplace, the beautiful wooden floors, or even some of the artwork Alice knew I'd love, but I simply couldn't. My shoes fell off beside a large blue couch, and his followed very soon after. My eyes hadn't left his, and his hadn't left mine because it didn't really matter where we were as long as we had each other. And the moment was so perfect, so right, that I knew the second he started up the wide staircase I was ready for this. I'd been ready for this, begging for this, for so long. I wanted to be his for the rest of my life and make love to him for the first time since we'd fallen in love in our very own bed.

My hands fumbled with the handle on the very last door, for our lips had locked in heated bliss and neither of us knew exactly where we were going in the small hallway, and when I opened it my breath caught. The fireplace from below continued up here and burned lowly as if it'd simply been waiting for us to arrive all this time. The large bed was covered in white cotton and down blankets and the walls has been painted a creamy white color that matched the red and white bedding perfectly. I hadn't the time to marvel, for my attention was taken by the beautiful man holding me in his arms with that crooked smirk still on his lips.

Edward's lips met mine then and he walked me over to the bed cautiously as our tongues licked and tasted each other greedily. We turned and he sat on the white down covers, while my legs wrapped around his waist as well as they could in the long dress. He groaned when we parted breathlessly, and I smiled as I took his coat off, feeling every muscle on his arms and back before I threw it to the floor. He did the same, taking the straps off my shoulders so he could feel every inch of my upper body in his strong hands. I shrugged of the top, only to feel him poke me through his pants with his manhood.

His eyes widened when the fabric fell, and his eyes dropped to my breasts while a light blush covered his cheeks. His hands ran up my sides, rested on them, and with a devilish grin he licked across one of my nipples, biting and sucking it until I was writhing beneath him. I undid the buttons on his shirt, a need bubbling inside of me that made me rip it open inside of taking the time to take off every individual button.

He growled possessively, whispering a low 'mine' as he took my lips in his again. I panted at the noise of his rough growl while he stood and discarded his shirt, only to focus his attention on the white garment I wore. My eyes shut as his hands slid over my body, replacing the cool silk with the warmth of his skin and the fire of his lips. He began at my chest, always asking me if his eyes if this is what I wanted, and started kissing down my body very slowly when I nodded. Agonizingly slow.

I felt the animal inside of me rising with each touch, with each kiss, and I couldn't keep up the slowness much longer. We had all of our lives, mostly after we turned sixty, to be slow. But right now, I needed him inside of me – I needed to feel complete at last.

"Edward," I pleaded, bringing him back up to my face; I placed soft kisses all up and down his neck until his cock twitched under my touch, "later. Love me later, I _need_ you now. I want you, now." He seemed to understand because his eyes flashed with darkness I'd only seen when we'd get too close to this point. He gripped my underwear clad body then, lifted me out of the pooling dress at my feet, and pushed me into the soft bed. My hands ran through his bronze locks, taking in his every expression as I wrapped myself around him. He sat up and I moved with him, our sexes pressing through the thin cotton that separated us. I gasped as his dick rubbed up against me, eliciting primal purrs of desire from my chest as it slid across the tight folds by my clit.

"Fuck," I mewed as he bit down on my neck and sucked the skin roughly, marking me all the while his hand traveled down my chest, toyed with my hard nipples, ran past my navel, and rubbed through the fold in my wet panties eagerly. My fingers did the same with his sculpted chest, pinching his tight nipples to get a hiss from his lips, then dipped past the elastic of his underwear and gripped his long, hard dick impatiently. He groaned, looking down at the way my hand ran up and down the long shaft, teasing the underside with my fingernails.

"You don't know how much I like that," he groaned, watching as I ran the head up and down my wet clit, moaning with the feeling it brought me. He got my underwear past my ankles in a rush, lowered his fingers to the opening of my sex, and moaned loudly as he traced the tight entrance. Wetness rushed to his fingers as they toyed and played with the opening, but I stopped him, shaking my head quickly. "I want you inside of me," my voice was breathy and made goose bumps break out across his skin.

"It could hurt you-"

"I don't care, "I interrupted, "please, Edward. Please," I begged him, pressing my wet core into his erection tantalizingly. He shuddered and gripped my hips tighter, pressing my chest to his. My stomach turned with butterflies and want as he picked me up and sat on the very edge of the bed, placing me just above his throbbing member. He looked into my eyes as I began to lower myself, and stopped me.

"Baby," he whispered, "if it hurts you have to promise you'll tell me." At last, I felt like the small blushing bride I was supposed to be. It would hurt, and if I told him I knew he'd stop, so that was a promise I was going to have to break. I nodded anyway, bucking my hips to get any type of friction I could. He took my hips and placed me directly over him.

I rolled my hips down and felt the tip enter me, filling me so completely with just some small thrust. I couldn't even imagine what it would feel like to have the whole thing, but I didn't have long to think about it. Something had awoken inside of him, showing itself in his black eyes, and he stood, bucking his hips upward to shove himself inside of me as we staggered over to a wall, groaning loudly at the feeling of each other. I only felt one sharp pang of pain, and then my body was screaming for more, my hips were pleading with him as they rotated in slow, wide circles around his hard cock. I grabbed at the skin on his back, digging my nails into it as he grunted with another thrust that made me fucking purr out his name.

"Mine," he whispered possessively, striking something primeval inside of me that only sent more wetness to the head of his cock as it rimmed my entrance. I nodded, only letting out incoherent pleas for more.

"Say it." He teased me roughly, licking across one of my nipples with that sexy smirk that made my legs turn to jelly. I gasped when he bit down and gripped my hips, pushing me harder against the wall.

"Y-yours," I panted out, unable to form more than that even if I wanted to. The way his black eyes roamed my entire body sent pleasant sparks from the tips of my hair to my toes, and I couldn't help the way my nails dug into his skin again when he pushed back up into me.

I could feel something building, something rushing faster than it had ever before. When he grabbed me again and hissed as I bite down his neck and clawed at his back, he threw me on the bed on my hands and knees. I'd never been so turned on in my life, and I'd never expected something so sensual from my Edward. He was giving into all the nights we'd gone too far, and taking me as his in the most instinctual way. He grabbed my hips and lined up with my entrance, making me whine for more as he teased my clit with the head of his dick.

He shoved inside of me when I backed up into him, only getting the tip into me once again, and we both groaned loudly, but didn't stop this time. He pressed his chest into mine; panting out my name as his hands touched my breasts and he rolled me over so I was facing him on the edge of the bed. His hand reached down, rubbed the bud between my legs expertly, and when he pulled me closer he hit a spot inside of me that made me see stars behind my eyes.

The intense rush of lust and pressure almost made me insane with want, but when I opened my eyes and saw his face twisted in pleasure, I couldn't hold on any longer. The heat building up inside of me rushed out, making my legs shake with the force of it, and he gasped as I convulsed around him, screaming his name out into the warm night. His arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me close to his chest, our lips connected and our tongues danced lazily as he began thrusting erratically. I felt that the bubble was about to burst inside of me again, and we were both coming close to the edge.

"Bella, oh fuck, my Bella," he chanted my name, breathed out a few times and clutched me tightly as his dick twitched violently and his warm liquids filled my sex to the brim, spilling out onto my thigh as ran the head across my clit and delved back into my folds again.

We collapsed into a heap of sweaty limbs and I could feel my heart racing along with his. I couldn't tell where his body began and mine ended, but I didn't care as he kissed up and down the side of my face, whispering 'I love you' over and over again. "Bella," he sighed, curling up into me. I wrapped my legs around his waist as his dick slid out of me and his head hit my chest with a soft thud.

He was out, exhausted from the emotion and intensity of our bodies coming together. My fingers ran through his hair and I smiled down at him, feeling something click inside of me; something that wasn't there before tonight. It was a love that went far deeper than lust, and even I knew you didn't just find that in a man that was beautiful on the outside like Edward. He was the other half of my soul, and now that we were bound together forever in love and eternal lust, I could see that clearer than the day.

The man on top of me kissed me in his sleep, whispering my name as he dove into a deep slumber, bringing me along with him as I stared at the moon. Tonight was the best night of my life, and no matter what lifetime I lived in, I'd never forget the way he whispered my name as softly as a passing breeze through the open window above our heads. Finally, I had found the place where I belonged.

**A/N:**

**Woottt for sexy, possessive lemons :)**

**OH yeah, and there are links on my profile to the cottage, Bella's wedding dress, and the pathway if anyone wanted to know. (or I didn't explain it very well)**

**Review it**

**-Dee**


	25. The Creature In The Meadow

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**The Creature in the Meadow**

**(Bpov)**

A brush of cold night air across my bare legs woke me from the deep slumber I'd fallen into after the intensity that I felt with the man next to me raged over and over again. It was dark. Even darker than it was at the main house, and I knew the only light would come from the low moon outside the window. It was one of those 'I-know-I'll-never-get-back-to-sleep' nights, so I sighed and slipped out of Edward's arms halfheartedly. I didn't want to wake him, but I couldn't help the way my hands trailed down his arm, across his back, and eventually rested on his face. He was so beautiful, and last night had been the absolute best night of my life. So far, anyway.

"I love you," I whispered when my lips met soft bronze locks. It was true, I loved him more than anything, and from what happened last night - after we fell asleep for the first time, I knew he loved me too. I kissed his forehead so softly I barely felt my lips on his heated skin, but saw him smile in his sleep from the feeling. After a moment of memorizing all of the dips and curves of his face, I made my way out of the bedroom with my nightgown over my shoulders.

I shut the heavy wooden door and looked around the spacious hallway in awe. There were pictures of art pieces I'd admired in the main house and even some of the pictures taken by Alice of Edward and me laying the grassy garden behind the Masen house. Things like this just didn't happen: a girl like me meets the perfect guy; we get - I shuddered - married, then make love until we died from dehydration or old age. All of which happened because somehow I came back to this time. I didn't care why it happened, I was just glad it did. I didn't know what I'd do if I'd never met Edward and I didn't want to know.

The floor was cool on my feet, and somehow it reminded me of the cement floors in the apartment Frankie and I rented. Those days felt like they were back in another lifetime almost. My smile was reminiscent as I walked down the soft wooden steps and looked at the beautiful cottage. My brother was the only sacrifice I made staying here, but I knew he forgot about me the moment I chose to be Mrs. Edward Masen forever. I shook him out of my head, forgetting the heartache it brought me, and turned my attention back to the work of art my love had created for our life together.

The entire back of it was windows and my eyes couldn't seem to look away from the sultry woods beyond the glass. The only thing that took my attention from the trees was a large photo of Edward and I, taken before our wedding in the meadow, that was sitting on the mantel of the fireplace. It brought a soft smirk to my lips as I touched the cool glass and remembered the night he saved me from James' attack. The way he held me in his arms, so worried that I was more than hurt, showed all of the emotion he felt for me – even

then. I never trusted anyone more than I trusted him that night, and after those horrible things happened, I knew he was the man I wanted to spend my eternity with.

I was pulled away from the picture and my eyes rested on the black woods outside. The wooden door that would lead me to the wilderness called to me, and I turned the cold handle to feel the summer night air across my face. It was very early or late however you looked at it, and the moon hung lowly in the western sky. The sun would be up soon, but I wanted to go through the full-moon lit forest and feel the nature around our home on my feet. It beckoned me with its sweet pine smells and mysterious noises whispering in the night. As if in a trance, I slipped on my shoes and walked into the mouth of the woods without hesitation. The moon lit my path, and soon I was smiling at the dawn breaking over the horizon. Everything around me was coming to life in the light: the green bushes that marked the path had gone from black to dark hues of green; the soft brown bark on the trees greeted my fingers as they curiously traced the ancient marks, and even the white morning glories began to open and smile up at me. The cottage could be seen behind me and I knew my love was still asleep as I cherished the world before people had torn into it and ruined the simplicity of life.

But outside of the happy bubble of daisies and sweet grass I stood in, there was a darkness all around the morning light, pulling me unconsciously toward the bend in the trail where a honeysuckle meadow had been drenched in shadows. A chill ran down my spine, but my feet wouldn't move away from the frightening grassland, only closer to it. I could hear footsteps nearing me and the sound of an animal close by. The meadow seemed even darker as my head spun with adrenaline and my heart raced faster than ever before. A shadow came into the meadow, but my feet still wouldn't move and I stopped breathing all together when it came into the light.

It was a doe, and she was wounded very badly as she hobbled into the meadow. My heart broke for her as she huffed and clutched onto life, but fell to her knees in agony. I moved closer almost unconsciously and ran my hands through her thick brown fur as she struggled for breath; I could see she'd been bitten on the next by what had to be a larger animal. "Shh," I soothed her as tears formed in my eyes. "Everything will be okay." I smiled when she looked up at me, and finally closed her gentle brown eyes. I'd never seen an animal die before, and I felt like sobbing over her because of it, but I hadn't the time for that when something caught my eye from the tree line. Growls erupted around me, sending pangs of fear through me. The animal that claimed the doe's life had tracked her here and now I was standing way too close to something's prey. I sprinted to the other side of the meadow, and as I was about to leave I heard a sound that shouldn't have been in the deep woods.

Human footsteps. More shadows flashed all around me, sending me into as much of a panic as the lifeless animal behind me had been in. I clutched a tree and stared with wide eyes as the black figure across the meadow emerged from the night.

Pale skin shaped a face and blood washed over a man's body as he crouched before the near lifeless animal and growled at me like I was the threat. Shaking, I watched as he bent down to her neck and bit into the animal as easily as if he were biting into warm butter. His golden eyes met mine and he glared menacingly – animalistically. My legs wobbled as he stood and bared his white teeth, but my mind wouldn't move: I was frozen in place, and I was going to die. Death by Dracula wasn't the way I thought I'd go – especially now that I had my Edward forever. But that was it, wasn't it? Life would take away my happiness when it pleased unless I fought back and I knew just how to.

Somehow as the man advanced, snarling louder as he smelled my blood pumping hard through my veins, I found my voice and shouted louder than I'd ever shouted before. "EDWARD!" My voice did not quiver as I begged for him, once, then twice. When the demon heard Edward shouting my name back, his head whipped toward the house and he growled once more. He was so close to me I could simply reach out and touch his flesh, and I could smell the rusty salt from the blood that covered most of his body. Always hiding his face in the shadows, he leapt out of the meadow and back into the forest almost too fast for my eyes to see.

I panted like I hadn't taken a breath since I saw the man emerge from the darkness, and the dizziness his presence brought left my mind. "Bella!" Edward shouted when he saw me in the middle of the trail. "What happened? Are you alright?" He touched my shoulders and whatever he saw on my face only worried him more.

"Bells?" He whispered, shaking my shoulders to try and get me to respond. I coughed and blinked a few times before I realized I was sobbing. He pulled me into his tight, warm embrace and kissed my forehead softly as I clutched him tight. I'd never been so glad to see another person in my life and hadn't realized the experience terrified me so badly.

It was the moments of realization that terrified me. The dreams weren't dreams, but visions of things to come and that meant that I was meant to be killed by a vampire. I had merely escaped my fate tonight, but I knew the demon would be back to steal my life again until he succeeded or another took his place.

"I saw," I swallowed the tears, "a man standing in the forest," I finished at last. He clutched me tighter, his eyes widened, and he put me behind him defensively when he saw the direction I was looking at.

"A man?" His voice was protective and almost as much of a snarl as Dracula's had been, but it didn't send shivers down my spine, but down my front. Great time to get turned on body, I snorted, just great.

I nodded when my lusty thoughts turned cold and frightened. "He was standing on the very far edge of the meadow, and he," I paused as Edward turned away from the now lit

meadow and looked into my eyes, "he had a doe in his arms. He put her down on the ground and she was bleeding all over him, but he, well, he started…drinking her."

His eyebrow rose and his arms fell off my shoulders. "Drinking…an animal," he sighed and relaxed his stiff shoulders. "Bella my love, you were sleep walking again." He chuckled as he pulled me into his arms like it was some kind of joke and there was no danger all around us. I knew the vampire man had to be close, if not watching this entire interaction like it was some sick joke.

"No I wasn't!" I protested. "I was not dreaming, Edward, it was real! I saw him and he was going to kill me," I insisted, but Edward just nodded and kissed my cheek sweetly. The damn man knew just how to calm me down, and I hated that part of him when things were actually serious. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and pulled me away from the meadow before I got hysterical. I knew it really happened – I wasn't some dumbass that couldn't tell the difference between reality and dreams!

He sighed when we got into the house and I locked the back door hastily. "Bella," he got my attention as he kissed my neck and his arms circled my waist, "do you remember when you had those dreams about Dracula and woke up in the middle of the forest? Well I know you didn't take any medicine tonight and that's all it was. It's completely safe here – we're a mile away from any neighbors and there is no such thing as vampires. Hell, even if there were they wouldn't live in Chicago: it's too sunny they'd burn to death. Please baby, don't worry."

He nudged my cheek with his nose when I pouted stubbornly, making me smile and blush furiously. "I'll always be here to save you from the bad guys, my love," he whispered in my ear and my heart swelled with affection at his words.

"I'm counting on that," I countered, smirking as I turned in his arms. Our lips met and my tongue immediately begged to go past his soft lips and tangle around his. He groaned into the passionate kiss, grabbing my hips as his hands roamed my body and one of my legs wrapped around his waist.

He picked me up in his arms and forced me up against the wall as our tongues danced in rhythm with our grinding hips. My fingers went into his open button-up shirt and roamed his perfectly sculpted chest as he explored the skin beneath my nightgown. All my worries melted with each kiss; every touch was like a new type of fire rushing down my body, and I couldn't have enough of him. His lips tasted my neck and I was pushed harder into the wall; I could feel him pressing into me through his pants and my hand went from his chest to the button keeping him and I separated. The man in the shadows was a distant memory now; I hoped he would stay that way as I opened my eyes and saw Edward smiling back at me with his. The sun was rising over his shoulder and his pale skin shone in the golden light when I slid his shirt off his shoulders; the blush across his cheeks and chest

mesmerized and I felt my cheeks heat up as he looked at me the same with the same kind of wonder.

He lifted me off the floor and pushed my back into the wall while my legs wrapped around him tight enough to feel his hard length against my sex. I gasped when his hands wrapped around my waist and he pulled my nightgown up when our lips met in a passionate kiss; my eyes rolled back in my head as he gently slid my underwear off my body, his skin always touching mine. He kissed my skin, all the way below my belly button and back up after a flicker of his tongue across my wet folds made us both groan with need. He slowly kissed all the way up my body and when I could feel his rock-hard manhood rubbing against me, my hips rolled up to meet it with the same force. Edward grunted with desire before he pressed all the way into me, letting moans fill the quiet air around us as he filled me to the brim.

Sensuality couldn't even describe the feeling around us: it was so much deeper than that. Each thrust made me feel more complete than the last, every lap of his tongue against the flush skin of my breast felt like soft kisses from the sun itself, and I nearly fainted from the sensation of his fingers running across the spot where we connected, impossibly bringing me closer to the edge. I could feel the familiar pressure building in my stomach when I opened my eyes and saw a look of pure bliss on his face. His hands ran down my body when I pulled the pesky garment over my shoulders and watched his eyes widen; he grew even harder inside me when I grabbed my nipples and pinched the hardened pink skin while my hips met each of his thrusts.

He was so close that our chests were touching while my hands traced the muscles on his back. He kissed my lips and I felt all the love he was showing me rush down to where his thrusts had become slower and purposeful. His soft lips met mine and his deep green eyes were on fire with something I hadn't seen last night. We parted, gasping, and he pulled me away from the wall.

He whisked me upstairs to our room, sliding in and out of me, always harder each time, and it drove me insane with desire. My nails ran down his back when he shoved me down on the bed, but they were quickly removed from it when he rolled me over and pulled me up to him. His hands ran down my chest, teased my nipples before ghosting over my ribs and finally gripped my hips roughly and bent me over. I could feel him between my legs, barely touching my entrance with the tip as he teased me. With the tip of his aching member he ran the wetness spilling out of me up and down my folds until I was panting with need. His breathing had become erratic and with one last swipe across my clit he shoved into me. I could hear him gasp my name as I started swirling my hips, moving his cock in and out of my slick, wet entrance over and over again until I started seeing stars. He met my movements with rougher ones and on of his free hands jerked me up until my back was touching his chest. The thrusts didn't slow down as his hand moved in front of me and his toyed with my clit.

I wasn't going to last much longer, and by the sounds coming from him neither was he. My eyes shut tight as he fondled my clit and hit the spot inside of me, releasing a wave of liquid, hot lust that felt endless. I slumped against his chest as my pussy clamped down on his dick and I rode out my orgasm, meeting his rough thrusts until I he shouted my name. His diamond-hard dick pulsed inside of me and as he slowed, groaning lowly, I felt his hot liquid spill out of me. He gripped his dick and I felt the feeling of need rush through me again as he ran his cum up and down my throbbing sex.

I kissed him again, and wrapped my legs around him tightly until he slipped inside of me. We fell in a heap of limbs on our bed and he kissed my forehead lovingly. "My Bella," he whispered so softly I almost didn't catch the raw emotion in his tone. He kissed my cheek, then each of my eyes, and finally my lips before our gaze met again.

I ran my hand through his hair and rested his head on my chest before responding with so much heart I almost felt like crying. "My Edward."

"And I always will be," he swore, looking into me so deeply I knew that it had to be true.

When I nodded and his head fell on my chest again, it wasn't long before he was sound asleep. I loved the way he touched my hand with his when he slept like he needed the connection even when he was unconscious - I felt the same way. I settled further into the bed and sighed in elation when sleep began to take me, but I wasn't left without memory of what this night had shown me. My eyes popped open in fear and glued to the purple morning sky. My untimely death had merely been avoided tonight, but as panic sank in I heard the cry of a wolf in the distance and somehow it soothed my rattled mind to know the sun had risen and everything in the forest had come alive again - even the more dangerous animals that could rip Dracula apart if they wanted to. With the feeling of safety, mixed with my own impending doom filling me, I wrapped myself up in my love, and shut my eyes as the sun kissed the forest and sent me to my dreams.

**A/N:**

**Ahhhhhh this is insanely late! I am so sorry readers, I am truly a horrible person for making you wait so long! I am still writing for this, just only in the very early morning so bear with me. I hope it was worth the wait, too.**

**Anyway! New things happening in Edward and Bella's paradise *muhaha*. Anyone think they know the vampire man stalking Bella? Keep reading, I love you all n_n**

**Review!**

**-Dee**


	26. Dr Cullen

**A/N: Yay! update time :D Thank you all so much for the wait and I hope you enjoy what I've plotted. Sorry if it's short, I was just trying to get it out so I could start the next chapter and not have y'all waiting any longer. **

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**Dr. Cullen**

**(Bpov)**

I didn't want to let him go. Ever. I didn't want to leave the moments behind, even if they would just become memories. Time needed to stop right now and let me have this man in my arms forever – like this. We spent the nights wrapped up in each other, the days exploring the woods and learning about one another, making dreams we swore we'd keep. Edward wanted to explore the world, see the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben; explore Italy and find himself, even though he claimed he already had when he met me. Now he wanted to go on all of these adventures to make them our own.

But now Edward slept beside me, his head rested on my shoulder and his eyes fluttered as he dreamed. I ran my hands through his thick hair and sighed to myself: I didn't know one single person could ever be so content in one instant that they felt their heart would just burst open. My lips brushed across his cheek, my hands cupped his neck and fingers traced a strong jawline. He was perfect – if perfection ever did exist – and I was lucky enough to have him with me.

A month had already passed this way, like the blink of an eye. Edward would wake me late in the day; I'd tackle him, ravaging every part of him until we were left breathless and in a state of bliss. The past weeks we spent together ended like that every night: Edward breathless below me; me panting and begging for more as he kissed my heated skin until we began all over again.

Yet, fear twisted my gut at the thought of being alone when Edward would have to go into town to help the men fix up our bar. I knew that I would never really be alone in the vampire-ridden forests around us. I hadn't seen the golden eyed monster since that morning, and I hoped never to gaze upon his gleaming pale skin again. Deep in my heart, I hoped the wolves I heard howling in the dawn tore him to pieces before he even thought about coming back for Edward and I. But I knew we would never be that lucky. He was still out there, stalking animals instead of humans to live inconspicuously among the humans in this big town.

A kiss to my cheek woke me from the trance my thoughts had taken me to and I looked up to see Edwards green eyes grinning down at me. "What has you in such thought, my love?" His hand cupped the back of my neck and brought me closer to him. I didn't have time to answer before our lips met and the electricity his touch brought raced through my heart, making me push my chest against his in want. My hands ran through his hair and I pulled him closer, panting as his hand hitched around my thigh, bringing me closer. I rolled on top of him, straddling his hips, letting his hardness enter my naked body. His eyes rolled in the back of his head and he grabbed my hips forcefully, bringing my body down to his chest.

"I love you," I whispered as he panted against my lips and regained control of the flush across his cheeks.

He managed to control his desires and spoke softly. "And I will always love you, my Bella," he whispered gently in my ear after placing a kiss under it. He wrapped an arm around my waist in a tight embrace, giving into the desire I felt pressing into my thigh. I pushed him away, rolling my eyes at the way he pouted and pulled me back into his arms.

He sighed when I melted into him, resting my head on his chest as he curled around me. "Are you happy?" he wondered, staring into my eyes because he knew when I was lying. Most of the time.

I kissed his cheek and nodded. "I don't think there's anyone happier than I am right now. Well, maybe this is how Alice always feels, I don't know." He chuckled and lied back down, rolling his bright green eyes at me.

We didn't speak, but there was a veil of calm and love shrouding us, kissing our skin with its peace. I hated watching the sunrise because I knew it would bring an end to this moment. He had to go into town to check on the progress that the builders had made on the bar and I had a doctor's appointment to get more crazy powder so I didn't wander out into the woods and get my blood sucked.

I knew the nightmares weren't from some sickness; they were from the jump in time. Whenever they came it was warning me that something was going to happen, something related to the dreams. So I wanted them to go away at least until the vampire did and that meant seeing Dr. Cullen again and convincing him I was half-mad.

I ran my hands down his pale chest, feeling fire light in my stomach as he grabbed my hips but not to bring me closer. He pushed me away, smirking at the confusion on my face. "If we do what I know you're thinking, I'm going to be late or not show up at all." I pouted as he buttoned his shirt with an ironic smile and came to where I sat on the bed. He scooped me up into his arms and carried me sheet covered body down the steps with him until we got to the front door. I put my hands on my hips and watched as he fought himself from staying here in my arms.

He stepped away from me and looked toward his car parked in the drive. "I'll see you later today. Oh," he paused frowning at me, "Alice would like to see you today if it's not too much trouble." Oh it really wasn't, but I nodded and put on a smile before I waved him off the porch. We kissed, softly, almost tantalizingly because I knew he had to go, and he headed toward his car. I watched him drive off, leaving me here alone in the woods. In theory I was safe because there weren't any people, but I couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on me.

First, before I went to see my new sister, I had to get dressed and meet Dr. Cullen again: the handsome doctor that made my Edward jealous. I couldn't help but laugh at that. Like I'd leave him for some random doctor man that would think I was crazy. I headed upstairs, looking for a nice dress that wouldn't draw any attention to myself, and finally settled on a high necked, deep blue sun dress Alice picked out for me from some designer in New York. It was better than the others I had, I'd admit. Much lighter.

After finally saying screw it all, I left my hair down and grabbed a pair of flat shoes to walk myself to the hospital for my appointment. I really didn't like the idea of a house call being as I almost couldn't find the cottage in the first place so it was easier to tell him to meet me at the Masen house around ten.

So I began down the road, smiling at the birds and rabbits along the way. This part of the forest was so welcoming and bright that it was almost hard to believe I'd ever had bad experiences in the forests. The sun was shining through the branches, lighting up my alabaster skin in such a way that I didn't look pale as a ghost. The plants around me gave off the aroma of pine and moss so strongly that it was almost intoxicating.

I made it to the main house in ten of fifteen minutes and found Elizabeth sitting on the porch, sipping her morning tea. She smiled and waved at me as I came up the steps, bearing honey in a jar for her. "Good morning, Bella. The doctor called and he'll be here soon. Alice is upstairs and she wants to know everything in detail," She smiled as she kissed my cheek in greeting. I sat beside her and set the jar on the table with a large sigh at that. Of course Alice wanted to know everything: the pervert she was. I was blushing and I knew it, because Elizabeth smirked and laughed to herself as she looked over the mornings' paper.

"Well I might as well go see her, it's been a while." I knew my face went completely red when she laughed and nodded to herself again. Stupid Alice spreading her psychic crap to everyone about my sex life; why did she even want to know? I knew I was grumbling to myself as I made my way up the steps to her room.

"Bellaaaaaa," she sang loudly before I'd even opened the door, "I'm so happy to see you! I feel like it's been a month since we've seen each other." She swung the door open and was hugging me as she shouted the words like I couldn't hear them from where she stood.

I nodded and patted her on the head to calm her. "It has been a month exactly Alice," I laughed as I pried her off of me, "I'm here to see the doctor. Even though I really wish I wasn't," I sighed as my eyes slid shut and I remembered the beautiful start of my honeymoon. I regretted showing any satisfaction in my marriage when Alice squealed and clapped her hands.

"Oh my gosh," she giggled, "well I mean aside from him being my brother, was it amazing, fantastic, fantabulous?" She squeaked the last few words so I didn't catch them at all, but I just nodded and fell on my back beside her in the bed.

I smiled when she rested her head on my shoulder and looked up at me expectantly. "Oh alright," I complained. "It was perfect, is perfect as it isn't over yet, and I couldn't be happier. I swear I wake up every morning next to a God, and I never want this to end." I sounded breathless as I thought of him and we both sighed happily, entirely too much like the women we were on the inside.

"Well I see very many happy nights for you and Edward," she promised, "and nothing out of the ordinary as of yet. Well the war is going to end soon, but other than that I can't see anything unusual." She sat up and looked out the window, her eyes glassing over for a moment before she turned back to me.

She pointed to the door. "Carlisle is here." She smiled when I sat up and straightened out my dress impatiently. I didn't wanna know how she knew his first name so I walked down the steps in front of her. I hoped the man wouldn't say I was crazy and commit me; I just needed those awesome dream-taking-away pills again.

We met the blonde doctor in the living room, chatting with Elizabeth. He saw me and smiled, his perfect teeth gleaming in the sunlight. I froze at his eyes: bright butterscotch. He looked just like the creature from my nightmares and the forest, but he couldn't possibly be the bloodsucking demon. "Bella," he shook my hand as I blushed at my anticlimactic greeting, "it's good to see you well." _Well because you haven't drained me of life yet_. I shut up my mind and nodded.

"T-thanks. Uh," I stammered and let go of his ice cold hand, "Just a regular check-up, I guess." I began and he nodded a little as he grabbed his black bag. I saw the frown on his brow and hoped he couldn't hear the blood racing through my veins as he approached me with the stethoscope. _No Bella_, I tried to convince myself, _he isn't the man in the woods. He can't be. Dr. Cullen is way too nice to be an animal killing psycho._

He smiled and placed a hand on my back alongside the cold metal, instructing me to breathe in and out. "Good," he nodded and took my pulse, "are you feeling alright, Bella?" He wondered, letting go of my wrist as I sat down across from him in the empty living room. Alice and Elizabeth had left to give us privacy and I really wished they hadn't. Even if Carlisle wasn't the monster he looked and felt like it and that meant he might be. I didn't want to take chances on a maybe, but he did look genuinely concerned about me.

"Fine, I guess," I shrugged, "nightmares again and I've been feeling sick for a while." I rubbed my stomach and I noticed the smile on his face for a millisecond before he went back into doctor mode.

He nodded as he pushed the metal tool to my stomach and pushed around to see if there was anything abnormal. "Well," he started and unhooked the tool from his ears, "there might be a chance that you are with child if you feel sick in the afternoons or mornings. We can take some samples and I could check them, but if you see any stomach growth or notice that you haven't had your monthly menstruations, I would say you are."

"What?" I laughed, not taking him seriously as I sat back up. "Pregnant, but that's…" I trailed off as I thought. My last period was fourteen days _before_ the wedding. Before it.

"No," I reasoned, "is there any other thing it could be?" I wondered, panicking as I grabbed at the fabric over my stomach. What would Edward do? Would he be so angry that we were already starting a family that he would order me to leave him? Would he stay and love and cherish me and the baby for as long as we both lived? I couldn't even think about it without feeling sick. How the fuck was I going to tell him this had happened _already_? I wasn't even ready to be a mom! I hadn't the slightest idea of how to raise a child, especially in the fucking nineteen hundreds! I knew in my time most mom's could take their babies to day care, drive them around in the car with loud music until they slept - like my mother did with me. Before I began panting and freaking out even more, Carlisle sat beside me. He took my hands, soothing me with his deep stare as if he could see the anxiety racing through my mind.

I felt serenity flood my body and I relaxed as Carlisle smiled down at me. "Bella, everything will be alright. You have a loving husband, a family that cares deeply for you, and if you are with child you will have a family of your own. It's a beautiful thing," he assured me and looked behind him to see if there was anyone around, "especially in this time."

My eyes widened at him and he sat down again, sighing as he looked out the window. "I know I'm not supposed to know that you aren't from this era, and I believe you aren't because there are things in this world even more complicated than time travel. I saw it once before in a woman that came here ten years ago," he pointed to a scar on the top of my arm, "we don't have a shot like this for newborns in this time, but you and the other woman both have it, preventing some disease from the future I'm guessing." Oh crap he really did know what he was talking about and he hit the fucking nail right on the head. Well, not exactly because the shot was from this time too, just improved and effective.

But that would mean he could tell that there was that medicine in my skin, in my body, as well as the woman he spoke of that traveled here from the future, too. But how could he tell that if he was a mere doctor going on the scar from a shot that was barely visible? The man with the blonde hair, unnaturally beautiful pale skin, perfectly razor sharp teeth, and senses that beat a humans' by a long shot weren't the only proof I had. I watched him run in the night, trying to flee from my human eyes as he hunted. This man was the man I saw in the forest. The vampire was Carlisle and he wanted to kill me, didn't he? Or was there another reason for him coming at me that night?

I turned to him and stared into his golden eyes, gauging his reaction to my knowledge as he looked back into mine. "More complicated than medicine, like," I paused and saw the gold orbs widen in fear and understanding, "vampires?"

**A/N: **

**I know it's short, but hey it's an update! And I'm already working on chapter 27. It should be out in the next couple days, I hope. I quit my JOB! :D So, I will be updating more regularly for the next couple months until I go back to work. I hope to finish this story in that time. **

**Thanks for reading and pleasseee **

**REVIEW :D**

**-Dee**


	27. BLOG INFO

Hey everyone! Sorry for all of the random updates, just there's been a LOT of shit happening!

GOOD NEWS! :D

I've started up a **blog** where ALL of my stories will be in the near future, so far I've only got all the recent, **INCLUDING CHAPTER 26, of Under The Cherry Blossoms**.

**Just click where it says UNDER THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS and all of the chapters are uploaded there :)**

And just so you know, the chapters on that blog will contain the sexy, steamy over the fucking top lemons that I absolutely LOVE to write, while on this website I will keep things calm so the fucking admin doesn't kick me in my theoretical balls. :D

here's the link, take out the spaces and leave me your reviews in comments ! **pandadee . wordpress . com**

**Follow me and you'll get emails when there are new posts. Or just follow me here and when I upload go there to read it and leave your reviews, whichever y'all prefer :) **

Thanks for the support, still love all of you to death!

-PandaDee


	28. Jealousy Rears His Ugly Head

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**Jealousy Rears **_**His**_** Ugly Head **

**(Bpov) **

"Vampires." He spoke the word without question and looked at me with very sad eyes. "Unfortunately that is one thing I do know entirely too much about, Mrs. Masen." He was whispering now, afraid to reveal the secret to anyone else listening in the big house.

I nodded and took his cold hand, reassuring him that we were safe here. He smiled at the action and accepted my friendly touch like it was the first he'd had in years. "Why did you try and attack me, Carlisle?" I wondered, still mesmerized by his kind smile. It had been eating at my mind this entire time as he looked at me like he was in such misery alone.

He frowned then, shaking his hand. "I haven't tried to attack anyone. I've never drank from a human before, Bella." He assured me and I nodded, playing with what had happened that night in my mind. The creature in the meadow had tried to sink its teeth into me, but he swore he'd never even come close to attacking one of us.

How was that possible?

"The deer," I nodded, gasping when I realized why the mama deer had been injured. "You were after the deer and then when I saw what you'd done you came after me-"

"I've never hunted in this area and if a human saw me it would be like a memory because I'd leave just as soon as they caught a glimpse. I always go far from town, in the mountains closer to the lakes. You're saying you saw someone like me in the woods?" He interrupted, very seriously now. He stared at me and I felt despair sink through my every pore.

"I saw something behind my house. It was dark, it ran very fast, and had glowing yellowish eyes but when it smelled my blood it came for me. If it wasn't for Edward shouting my name I'd probably be dead right now." I clutched the skin around my neck where in so many nightmares I felt these creatures bite down and take life from me.

He stood then, nodding as he tried to think of what could be happening. "There must be a nomad in the area," he contemplated, "I will keep watch over your home and if I see anyone I will tell them the area is claimed and I need to keep a low profile. Are you sure it's eyes were yellow? They weren't red?" He wondered, looking deep into my eyes as if he'd find the answer there.

"They were red around the center," I recalled, not really paying much attention to the red in its eyes but the breath it blew into my face as it snarled. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Carlisle stood by the window, looking through it not out it, and frowned as he looked at me. "My eyes are this color because I only hunt animals," he began to explain. "The other's, most others, have red eyes because they…do not." He didn't speak of them eating humans, but I saw the restraint and knowing in his face. He knew just what those vampires could do to someone if they got too close.

"What can I do? Edward, he's totally oblivious-"

"And he will stay that way," Carlisle assured me. "You cannot tell a living soul, Bella. No matter the person, they must never know what I am. You will be safe, I have friends in high places that can come in and undo any damage if necessary. In the meantime I would like to meet with you again, tomorrow perhaps?" He wondered, taking his hat as he spoke.

I nodded and went to stand in front of him. I was so grateful I didn't even know what I'd say. I wanted to hug him, I wanted to tell him thank you for being the right kind of monster. "Of course I'll meet with you anytime, Carlisle. I'm already starting to consider you as part of my little family, I see you so damn much." I chuckled and he laughed in agreement.

"You really must be more careful, child." He examined a scraped elbow I'd gotten falling out of the shower a few days ago. I blushed and he embraced me when he saw the scared tears in my eyes. "Don't worry, Bella. You'll be alright," he assured me as he rubbed circles into my back. I wiped away my tears and hugged him closer, feeling somehow like I was closer to my dad than I'd ever been. Carlisle could never be the monster I saw in the meadow, I just knew it. He was too good.

"Thanks, Carlisle." I sniffled as I looked up at the man who was anything but the word. He was about to respond when he stiffened and grimaced only enough for me to see and only for a split second.

"Uh," a deep voice came from the hallway and I looked to see Edward standing there, his eyes black with jealousy. "What's going on?" He wondered finally when he saw that I was crying.

I moved away from the vampire and shook my head, putting on my best smile as I looked at my Edward. "Nothing at all. Carlisle was just leaving," I looked up at the golden haired man who had a smile on his face. I escorted him to the door and he gave me a thin piece of paper as we shook hands.

"Tomorrow at that address, three o'clock." He whispered the words before Edward could gather up his jealous bits off the floorboards and follow us out to the porch. I waved to the good doctor and smiled when he disappeared from sight.

Vampires were real. I wasn't crazy after all. Who'd of thought? I shook my head as my eyebrows rose in disbelief, until I shut the door and was face to face with a dark, expressional Edward. I frowned when he didn't let me pass and looked everywhere but my eyes. "What the hell's the matter with you?" I wondered, crossing my arms over my chest with a peculiar brow.

"Why were you hugging Doctor Cullen and crying of all things?" He sneered, glaring at me like I would melt if he did it for long enough. I ran my hands across my bloated stomach and smiled up at the jealous man, but before I could respond he rolled his eyes and looked stubbornly out the window.

"It doesn't even matter. I know he's attractive and a doctor, much older than me and probably-"

"Oh shut up," I laughed, pouncing on him as he sat on the couch. I wrapped my legs around him and glared playfully, mocking his expression. He wasn't having it, and I had such good news above the whole being right about vampires stalking me. There was something a _bit_ more important than that going on inside of me right now, though.

"I'm not making that face."

I smirked. "Yes you are," I made it again, "it's just like this." I scrunched up my features angrily like he had until he finally huffed and cross his arms.

I grabbed his hands and ran them across my cheeks, kissing them as they passed my lips, slid down my shoulders as he began blushing when they grazed my hard nipples and finally rested them above the little bump I was sure that was growing there. His hands immediately moved away from it and he pushed me off him onto the couch. "I'm going back into town, I'll be home late." He grabbed his jacket again and didn't look back over at me while I stumbled over my words and tried to explain.

"Edward-" He slammed the door just as I got the courage to tell him what was really going on and I sighed in frustration.

Why the fuck was he such a jealous ass sometimes? What the hell did a hug even mean? I gave all my friends at school a hug in my time, every day. He would have exploded if he'd known that, I was sure of it. I sat in the chair beside the sitting room and curled up there, resting my head on my knees as sheer terror ran through me. There was – very probably – something, a child, inside of me right now and my husband was too stubborn to even listen to me tell him he was going to be a dad. Sure, that wasn't the reason I was hugging Carlisle, but I couldn't just tell him. 'Edward I'm hugging the vampire man because he's going to take time out of his immortal life to protect us from the other vampire I've been seeing in the woods behind our house': he'd probably freak out even more.

I rubbed my stomach with a soft smile, thinking about what she would be like. I already knew it was a little girl – it had to be. She'd have her dad's caramel hair, his green eyes and hopefully not too much of me in the mix. I sighed happily as a tear ran down my cheek. I could already see my insanely flat stomach was bloated. Good thing about being so skinny everyone wants to force feed you: you can tell there's something wrong about two months into anything.

Elizabeth walked in, holding some tea, and saw me wrapped into myself, holding my stomach tenderly. "Oh my," she set the tray down, "dear what's wrong? You look crazy as a bedbug right now. What did the doctor say?" She felt my forehead and I shook it, letting her know it wans't anything that I could die over.

"I'm pregnant." I whispered, only for her to hear and the hand she rubbed my back with froze. Her eyes were wide as saucers and she gasped before a blinding smile crossed her lips. I was in her arms then, getting the life squeezed out of me until I laughed that it hurt and she let me go. Was she that happy? I cautiously looked into her green eyes as she spoke.

"Oh I'm so delighted! This is excellent news, Bella. We must tell Mr. Masen at once! There will be parties, a nursery-"

"No!" I exclaimed, shaking even when she just tried to pull on my hand. "I, just, haven't exactly told Edward yet." I twirled my fingers when her eyebrows rose and she nodded in understanding.

"It's just he saw me hugging Carlisle," she frowned at the casual name and I backtracked. "I mean Dr. Cullen, after he told me the news and Edward immediately assumed the worst as he always does." I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest as she smiled a little and nodded.

"Edward is stubborn as a mule, I swear it," she sighed, "but he does love you. Tell him tonight and we'll make the announcement to the rest of family this week. Alice will be overly thrilled to know there will be two Don't forget that we all care about you, Bella. You've got a family here and the door is open anytime you need us," she finished by hugging me back and I nodded, getting a bit teary.

This wasn't good news, though. Having a baby right now was _dangerous._ I knew that as I walked down the road to the house in the woods. I was pregnant, with a baby to be born into sickness and death. I'd taken up reading the paper and the Spanish flu was the first thing everyone saw on every paper in this city.. Death tolls were up to four-hundred people just in Chicago. Doctor's couldn't find the reason for it, but I clutched my stomach when I read woman expecting were twice as likely to get the sickness and it was deadly. There was no stopping it. What if that was to be me on the obituary page? What if I was to die from this sickness and leave Edward here alone to – possibly – survive it?

I shuddered at just the idea and figured that at least a vampire would kill me quickly – painlessly. Tomorrow I would meet one again and this time I would ask him what the fuck I'd do if I got sick. I knew that if I died here I died in the future, too. There were no second chances and I couldn't bear leaving my Edward alone in this big world. He'd be broken.

"It's alright," I promised the bump on my stomach. "We'll be okay. I trust that whatever the fuck brought me here will keep us safe, little one." I smiled down at my bloated mess of a stomach and realized I probably looked crazier than I was right now.

I saw a familiar car in the drive of the house and couldn't hold in the smile when I saw Edward sitting on the front porch. His hair was messier than usual, his suspenders hung around his legs and he held a guitar, mindlessly playing music as he stared at the beautiful lake. I didn't even realize I'd been gone so long until I got to the porch and smelled the alcohol on him. And they say the damned Dry's had taken a stand in Chicago. I snorted. It didn't bother me that Edward was intoxicated off his ass, but I knew he was being dramatic over absolutely nothing.

"Edward, we need to talk. Are you too drunk to listen?" I wondered as I kissed his forehead and brought him back from Edward-land. He nodded and looked at me expectantly before I opened the front door and nodded my head toward the living room.

He sat beside me on the couch and looked into my eyes as I scooted closer to him. "Why were you hugging that doctor man?" He wondered, frowning at me when my smile fell.

"Because he'd given me good news." I wasn't going to lie, but I would tell him the other good news Carlisle had given me.

"Did he give you more medicine?" He asked, looking away from me as I curled against his side.

"No, but he had good reason not to. We talked about my nightmares, of course, but it wasn't until he was examining me that he found something interesting." I hinted, and when I was met with silence I continued. "It's just there might be the slightest chance that I'm pregnant. My cycle hasn't started in almost two months and there is something different about my stomach." I laughed, leaving out that a vampire with what I assumed was overly-sensitive hearing had told me he was almost positive there was a change in me.

Still, Edward remained silent. I began to panic. Didn't he want this? Didn't he always boast about how lucky we'd be if we were like Emmett and Rose, who were about to give birth to their first child in November? I sighed and glanced up at him only to find that he'd drifted to sleep in the middle of my one-sided conversation. I rolled my eyes and moved out of his hold, covering him up with a blanket as I went to the kitchen to make some tea.

"Men," I scoffed as I brought the hot liquid to my lips. "Unreliable except when it comes to fucking." I smiled at my mother's own words coming out of my mouth.

It was only seven in the afternoon, but as my love was passed out of the foreseeable future, I headed up to our bed in silence. I guess I was the only one to know about this miracle in the relationship – at least for right now. Tomorrow, I thought as I slid into bed, I would see Carlisle and hopefully get answers to all of the questions buzzing through my skull.

The nightmares were so routine now as I walked through the graveyard I didn't look for his tombstone, but for the golden eyed man I knew would be beside it. I sat beside the grave, looking at his faded name again, and smiled sadly at what I saw there. My love had perished but I knew now that he would have happily died if he knew that he was going to have a family and my love penetrated his chest. "Who are you?" I asked when I could feel the man behind me.

I stood up and turned around, only seeing him in the shadows of the moonlight and he didn't meet my eyes. I saw so many familiar features in his strong face that when my hand touched the cold skin I wasn't surprised the find the strength in his jaw or the fire in his eyes from my touch. I moved closer and he hesitated, but didn't pull away from me. "What's your name?" I tried again, looking into the golden orbs as they stared straight into my soul.

He touched my warm hand and sighed with such feeling I didn't know what to make of the man haunting my dreams. "So beautiful," he whispered as my fingers traced the purple circles under his tire eyes. "A monster shouldn't be around such a woman," he answered me, getting at what he had last time. But I knew that if he had golden eyes there was no way he was bad.

"I see no monster," I whispered back as the sun began to rise behind us, "but a man plagued to walk the earth alone in his sadness. He shouldn't have to be sad." I didn't want him to be. I frowned at my feelings for the imaginary vampire and smiled when his hands wrapped around my waist. He looked at me face and I blushed at the close proximity we shared.

"Then stay," he whispered like he was fighting a battle inside of himself. My hands ran up his rock-hard chest as we got closer, our lips only inches away. I knew him, I knew that I knew the man behind the golden eyes. I couldn't feel like this if I didn't. I wanted to kiss him, hold him for the rest of forever and then some.

"Stay," his voice had taken on a dream like quality and I saw the picture fade into nothingness, but felt his arms around me tightly. "My Bella…" A whisper of the wind caressed my cheek and I found my eyes had opened, but I felt no fear from what had taken place in that –dare I say it – _dream_. Love surrounded me. Light surrounded me and the man from my dreams was no longer a stranger, but a person so close to my heart that I couldn't possibly be wrong about his identity.

The morning light had risen, as had Edward into our bed, and the arms I felt in my dream were his. They were the warmth that I wanted, not the cold I got from the graveyard. I turned in his arms to find that his green eyes were open and filled with the same sadness the vampire's had.

"What's the matter my love?" I wondered as I pushed the tears out of his eyes and kissed his lips gently. He rested his forehead against mine and kissed my cheek, smiling when I pulled him closer to me. Our naked chests touched and he sighed contentedly.

"I'm afraid I'm going to lose you. If not to another man," he coughed away his emotion, "then to a sickness. I'm afraid for us, Bella. I've never seen such a pandemic hit this town. Tyler passed away this morning. His father came to tell me, knowing that we were good friends through our lives. If it can happen to them it can happen to anyone, Bella." I wiped away the silly tears off his cheeks and shushed him by wrapping my arms around his head and pulling him closer.

I kissed his forehead as he clung to me. "I'm not going anywhere, Edward. You aren't going anywhere. We're strong people who never get sick even when everyone else does. I'm very sorry about your friend, though. I know you were close. But calm yourself," I warned, looking down at him as he listened to every word. "Because I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be with you. Nothing will change that." I promised him, and I knew it was true. That damn flu wouldn't take me away – no matter what. I'd fight it until I couldn't fight anymore and live if that's what I was meant to do.

"I'm sorry for freaking out, just coming home to find you hugging someone I don't know after hearing about his death…it just sent me over the edge. To lose you would be a fate worse than death. I'd never be able to live." He shook his head like thinking about it was just insanity. I blushed and knew that he would live if he knew what grew inside of me right now. The baby would need him if I was taken away.

"Well," I sighed, not wishing to bring him further sadness by telling him I was with a child that could very well die from the same disease he feared. "How goes setting up the 'restaurant'?" I wondered, laughing at just the mention of the word. There were no pubs downtown anymore, not after those god damn Dry's tried to take away everything with their "society will be better when sober" bullshit. So we were making a 'restaurant' instead.

He smirked, "Oh the civilized hamburger joint downtown is going just swell, Bells. We've got tons of people just waiting for those doors to open." He kissed my cheek when I rolled my eyes at him.

"There'll be hamburgers and hot dogs, hell even a fully functioning restaurant on the main floor, but the attic be the most jazzed out place in all of Chicago," he promised as we lied back down to imagine it. "Just not in the basement cause that's where all the juice is gonna go. Emmett's helping with some of his pals to conceal it behind a wall or something. He's got ideas," he laughed when I rolled over into the crook of his arm.

I kissed his shoulder and smiled. "I've got to go back into town today, pick up some things from the market. We're running dangerously low on bread and I want to look at some things in the department stores," I lied. He seemed to understand and went over to the dresser to give me money, but I reminded him I still have over eighty dollars from our shopping trip with Alice. It's not like I spent it on anything.

"Well I'm going back to the pub, actually. I've got to show them the plans for the attic today." He yawned, running his hands through his hair as he pulled on some trousers.

I grabbed his hand and kissed it, not knowing why I really didn't want him to go. He scooped me up in his arms and I sat on his lap on our bed, looking into those green orbs as he kissed my cheeks, my forehead, the tip of my nose, and then finally my lips. The spark that I felt so many times seemed different somehow – stronger as it pulled me in. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down, moaning into it as the fire spread through every part of me.

He chuckled and pulled away, giving me one simple kiss on the cheek afterwards. "When I get home you should probably be here," he whispered in my ear. "I miss you entirely too much, Mrs. Masen." I could hear the smile in his voice and blushed at what he meant but felt need boil in the pit of my stomach.

I kissed him again when he got to the door and smiled down at my feet because I was too fucking lucky to have such a husband. Forgiving, understanding, a total push-over, especially when he was drunk, but there was something just so good about him. It was baffling. I'd never seen it in any other person on the planet. I guess that was a good thing though, to have such a man so in love with the very opposite of what he was.

I sighed and pushed it to the back of my mind. It was already noon: it would take me at least an hour to get myself "presentable" for the world, let alone down to the famous café Carlisle wanted to meet at downtown. I picked out a dress, got into the bath, and let my troubles float away with the warmth of the water. There was definitely a bump on my abdomen, from what I was sure I knew. My fingers shook when I even thought about it, though. I was going to be a mom and my husband didn't even know he'd be a very happy daddy in only a few short months. He'd definitely get suspicious when I was as big as a fucking planet, though.

It wasn't only for that reason that I wanted to see Carlisle. I wanted to know more about what he was, what the fuck my dream meant, and why I had it. I got dressed as I thought about everything happening in my life, the good, the bad, the vampires, and finally headed for town. The café was somewhere on first street, but I knew why he'd chosen this place. It was indoors and very pleasant when the weather was as cloudy as it was today. I wondered what the sun did to him: did he burn to a crisp just feeling its rays? I opened the tall brown doors and took in the smell of fresh coffee and pastries, imagining what it would smell like to a vampire in this place.

It didn't take long to find him: I just had to look for the palest being on the face of the earth not eating anything. "Carlisle," I smiled as I stood beside the table he was at. He was on the outside terrace, sitting beside the road at a table fit for two. I sat down my hat and we embraced as friends would do in my time before I sat down. I noticed there were no people, except for us, sitting out here.

When he saw the quizzical look on my brow, he responded. "I rented the terrace, I figured what we have to talk about is better done in private, and as it is highly improper for you to come to my house this is the most agreeable alternative."

"Thank you, for even agreeing to talk to me about this. I know it's probably not the easiest thing knowing some girl who you haven't known in your life knows about what you are," I spoke in a hushed tone as if the walls had ears.

He smiled and shook his head. "It's actually a relief. I've been alone since my creation in the sixteen hundreds. Having a person know what I am and not fear me for it is liberating. I feel like I finally have a friend I can talk to about everything." He laughed when I blushed and agreed. It was nice to feel like someone knew what you were going through, even if Carlisle was from two hundred years ago and I was from a hundred years from now.

"So," he began after I'd ordered a coffee, "I'm sure you've got questions."

"Only a million," I chuckled under my breath as I crossed my legs and looked over at the man. He looked different in the daylight, like he'd been plucked out of a magazine into real life. I looked away before he caught my staring in wonder, and began. "You eat animals, but can you eat human food?" I wondered, expecting the answer.

"I can," he seemed disgusted by the idea, "but it would be like you eating mud. It's nonsensical."

He told me everything. He told me about his first hunt on an animal and finding such relief that he didn't have to be a monster. He told me he'd become a doctor to help people because he loved humanity. He assured me that there was good in some vampires and not all were to be untrusted. I smiled when he confessed he actually loved being what he was: he could go anywhere, do anything, be whoever he wanted to be because he was free of the complications being alive brought. I was mesmerized by the adventures he'd had in his life and couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like to be in his shoes just for one moment.

He laughed and sighed as I rested my head in my hands and grinned up at him. "But there is something else troubling you, something that isn't so trivial as my being what I am."

Damn the vampire. He could tell this wasn't just "get to know your vampire buddy" time. "Well, I've been having this dream, this _nightmare_ actually…"

And I told him about everything. I told him about the graves, the beautiful golden eyed creature that up until last night I feared, and he sat there listening and understanding more than I could ever know. I told him the man in my dream was so familiar that I even knew who it was. "And, it scares me to know it." I finished, sipping at the coffee that had been brought to me minutes before I started telling him the tale of my demented mind.

"Who is it?" He wondered, looking at me seriously.

I paused and bit my lip, knowing the color had gone from my cheeks. "Edward," I sighed. "The vampire I dreamed of last night held me close and told me to stay with him, and when I saw his face I knew it was Edward. Edward, just pale and strong with golden eyes. I don't know what it means, if my dreams are visions and he's going to become like you, but I swear this was all happening in my time. In two thousand-five." I snorted at just how fucking insane I sounded.

Carlisle then took my hand and patted it like a father would to his daughter. "You've nothing to worry about, Bella. These dreams are just very literally dreams. Edward will not become like me unless he is bitten by someone like me. I've never bitten a human and if Edward had golden eyes in your dream it would mean that he is choosing to follow a lifestyle not too many vampires take. I'm sure the tales in your sleep mean nothing." He smiled when I sighed like the weight of the world had been lifted off of me. He patted my hand once again and moved on to a topic that was closer to our time.

"Now," he began, "I can tell you one thing that no other doctor in the world will be certain of until you start to show. You're pregnant; I can hear the fetus and smell the change in your blood. Have you told anyone yet?" He wondered as I stared at him in utter shock.

"No, because I wasn't sure, but I will now. There's no point in not telling anyone." I looked at the clock beside the entrance of the café and my chest deflated. It was nearly five: Edward was already on his way home.

He shook my hand when I stood and I settled for a hug instead. "Thank you, Carlisle. It's been amazing getting to know you. I want to do this again," I fished around in my pocket for a piece of paper I'd written my phone number on. "Please call me and we'll have tea." He took the paper gratefully and headed the opposite direction on the sidewalk.

At least he wasn't hiding from everyone anymore. I felt relief for my, I could actually call him this, friend. I couldn't imagine spending two hundred years in darkness, never getting to know anyone because you were so different that no one would understand.

It didn't take long for me to get home and I walked down the road as I had yesterday, smiling down at my bloated stomach that was filled with nervousness. Like yesterday, Edward was already home, and I skipped up to him on the front porch. "My love," I smirked as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "I've missed you." I swayed in the wind in my own world until he stood up and glared down at me.

"I saw you today with Dr. Cullen again. This time laughing and having the fucking time of your life with him. What is going on, Bella?" he pleaded, trying to hide his frustration from my lies and sneaking around. I smiled at him and touched his cool cheek before I grabbed his other hand and put it on the fabric of my dress. He frowned, feeling the skin there, and looked at me in wonder.

"Are you alright?" He asked me, this time concerned about why I was seeing a doctor because he felt it. He could feel the pull the little thing inside of me had on both of our souls.

I nodded when he came closer and cupped my cheek. I kissed his fingers before the words I'd been dying to say since yesterday passed my trembling lips. The very words had brought him to his knees before me in shock and astonishment, his hand gripping the fabric even tighter at my confession. "You're gonna be a daddy, Edward."

**A/N: **

**So, chapter 27. Sorry it was so long, there was just so much to incorporate into it. :) Hope y'all enjoyed it, drop me a review because there were no lemons in this chapter and it will be the same on wordpress. :) **

**-Panda**


	29. RedEyed Lovers

**A/N: So this chapter is a bit different from the rest, it's in Carlisle's point of view and he's going to discover what exactly is lurking around the cottage : ) **

**And sorry it's late…I just finished watching Inuyasha, a show I've been bound to since I was like 10 years old and can't stop crying because it's over. Anyway, here it is :)**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**Red Eyed Lovers**

**(CPOV) **

Bella had walked off into the veil of white masks and pale faces while I watched until my eyes could no longer see her tiny form. I cared for the girl, not like a lover would, but more like she was the goodliest friend I'd ever found and I never wanted her to stop being that to me. I smiled as I walked down the street shrouded in the gray of the clouds, until an all too familiar scent crossed my nose. Could it be?

Without being seen, I took to the back streets where humans were scarce and let my immortal legs carry me as fast as they could. Human eyes couldn't see me as I moved this fast. I found myself in the forest close to Bella's home; the scent had led me close to her as I suspected it would. I could smell the blood left from countless animals – obviously a human drinker had been trying to hide in the shadows of these trees, but little did it know it would need more animals than it ever would need humans if the diet was changed so drastically. Why would it suddenly take on a conscious anyway?

I followed the deer carcasses to a small hole inside of a hill; the human blood and vanilla scent reverberated around it foully. I snarled when I heard a warning growl, exposing my teeth for the first time in years. "Who's the creature praying on my friends – the ones in the cottage not a mile from this hovel?" I smirked when my words offended him and he jumped out from the shadows.

I recognized the man: his long, greasy blonde hair and over confident smile gave him away. Though his eyes were no longer light blue. A colleague had told me of a man that looked like this after attacking one of my patients: Bella. His eyes were red, shrouded in a fake yellow from all of the livestock he'd been killing inconspicuously, but I could feel the evil growing inside of him. He was born for revenge, nothing more. "Who's asking old man? Why do you smell like that?" He wondered, getting closer to me as his nose wrinkled. I didn't smell like vanilla or human blood. Vampire's scents grew fonder with age, I liked to say like wine without it turning into vinegar. I growled and snapped at him before he could touch my skin and he backed away – seeming fearful. Little did he know I hadn't the slightest idea of how to fight anything, let alone another vampire who had twice my strength.

"I'm two-hundred and seventy-five years old," I warned the young vampire. "I've seen things that you can't possibly imagine and don't even begin to compare odors to me, newborn." He couldn't have been older than a few months: how did he even resist Bella in that meadow the night she told me about? He glared like I'd personally offended him by calling him what he was.

He could obviously tell scents from others, but what was left of his demented mind that had been changed so uselessly? What could this human child have to offer our species besides bloodshed?

That was the very reason I'd never changed anyone. And never would.

"But you still haven't answered my question," I reminded his weak mind as his eyes dashed around wildly. "Who are you and what do you want with the couple in the forest?"

He straightened out at mention of Bella and Edward, only to smirk. "My name is James, old man. I've come back to this spec of a town to kill those repugnant humans for what they did to me in my human life. They humiliated me and now they'll die for it."

"I won't allow that." My voice had gotten lower – protective and I stood my ground when his face fell from smug to murderous. His muscles rippled, but I knew he was too afraid of my age to even come at me: what did he know of vampires? To him I could be infinitely powerful because I was such an old-timer.

James narrowed his eyes but didn't advance. "What has you so tied to them?"

I snorted, not letting up one single inch of my defense. "They are human, yes, but they are my friends. I won't let anything, especially a newborn with no hope for this life but death come anywhere near them. Why have you taken up animals in the first place?" I wondered, sniffing around for my answer before he could lie to me. His eyes darted to the hole in the landscape again and that was when I caught the scent of something changing – something becoming like us.

"You've changed a human!" I shouted, fury coating my venom-filled voice. How could he have such disrespect for life?

He jumped in front of the gaping hole, snarling at _me_ this time. "I've but changed my mate, old man. She was my love in my human life and when she discovered what I was she wanted to be like me. I almost killed her, but I can hear the venom burning her flesh from the inside out now." James smiled like the transformation was something to look forward to and I felt my respect for what I was drop to an all-time low.

I slammed him into a wall, using a move I'd learned from my vampire friends in Italy and whispered venomously into his ear. "I will spare you and your mate," he nodded when my hand constricted his skinny neck. "If you leave them alone and never return to their home."

He didn't respond to I took it up a notch. I twisted until I started hearing his skin break and crazy with a metallic squeal and he begged for me to stop before I tore his head off. He nodded when I left his head on his shoulders and stopped. "Okay, I promise we'll stay away from them just don't kill me!" He panted when I ghosted away and he fell to the ground, his eyes searching for me, but I had already taken my leave.

I had to tell Bella.

**(Bpov) **

"Oh…" His voice was shaking as his hand ran across the front of me in wonder. "What?" He asked me again, blinking away tears in his eyes as I smiled down on him. Well, I hoped it was good news to him.

"I'm," I started again shaking my head as I took his face in my hands. "_We're _having a baby, Edward. Can't you feel it?" I wondered, pressing his hands harder against my skin but he just smiled and nodded like a dummy, gently letting his hands travel my up my legs until they rested on the warm skin above where our little miracle was growing.

"I can feel it," he whispered like it was the most miraculous thing in the universe. "Oh my god, Bella!" He laughed, standing impossibly fast. He took me into his tight embrace and swung me around, kissing me all over my body until I felt like I would cry from the feeling of being so close and loved.

"So," I whispered in his ear as he stilled our movements, "you're not mad or…disappointed?"

He snorted then, looking into my eyes with tears in his own. His forehead pressed against mine and he shook his head. "I'm anything but disappointed or mad, my love. We're starting a family, what would make me happier?" He pressed his fingers against my stomach while his other hand cupped the back of my neck. "I love you so much already." I knew he wasn't talking to me as he spoke those soft words.

I ran my hands through his hair and smiled down at him. He was so different from the man he'd been this morning, and I still didn't know how it happened so fast. His face went from understanding to warm, his eyes from trust to love. My Edward, as he stared at me and what would be his son or daughter, had become someone new. Someone who I could never had made whole by myself.

He scooped me up into his arms and smiled when I rested my head on his chest, not complaining for the first time since he'd started doing this. I was at peace with the world and everything in it – despite the feeling of fear coming from all around us: the disease spreading, the vampires in the forest, time itself dragging me to places in my slumber. None of it seemed to matter as Edward sat down on our bed with me perched on his lap. I couldn't help but wonder what we'd become after this. Would we live to see the little baby growing inside of me? Something inside of me tore me in two: I couldn't tell if we would because the darkness was always around us – especially with vampires involved.

I almost wished I could tell him about Carlisle, until he pressed his lips to mine and I melted against him. My arms wrapped around his neck, bringing him closer as he pulled my legs up around his waist. He pinned me to the wall, pressing himself very successfully into my heated sex. "Edward," I pleaded, bringing his lips back to my face. I placed soft kisses up and down his neck until his cock twitched against my wet center. "I want you…I love you." He seemed to understand because his eyes flashed with emotion and a feeling I felt deep inside of my secret heart.

He discarded my white dress, touched underwear clad body so softly I wouldn't have felt it unless I watched his fingers ghost across my skin, lifted me onto the couch in the warm living room, and finally pressed his soft lips to mine again. My hands ran through his bronze locks, taking in his every expression as I ran my hand across his trousers temptingly. He sat up and I moved with him, our sexes pressing through the thin cotton that separated us, and I unbuttoned his jeans as his hands ran from my neck to my hips. I gasped as he rubbed up against me, eliciting primal purrs of desire from my chest as his desire slipped past my underwear and teased my clit.

A giggle erupted from me as his lips trailed down my neck, kissing and marking me as he went. I mewed as he bit down on my neck and sucked the skin so softly I almost went crazy. My fingers went to his sculpted chest then dipped past the elastic of his underwear and gripped his long, hard member in my hands. He groaned, looking down at the way my hand ran up and down the long shaft, teasing the underside with my fingernails as he pressed into my clit at the same time. I kissed his cheek, watching his expression as I gripped him faster, wanting to see him come undone by my hands. His eyes rolled in the back of his head and my own orgasm started building in the pit of my stomach. He was hitting all the right spots without even being inside of me. How the fuck did he do this to me? I looked up and saw his brow furrowed, his face immersed in pleasure, his green eyes fucking melting into mine…

I fell against the couch, panting as I ran his cock up and down my wet core until we both got louder, the feeling building inside of us until I couldn't take anymore. My eyes squeezed shut when my back arched and fire spilled from inside of me, coating him with my essence. Why did it feel so fucking good right now, watching him fall on top of me as gently as he could, spilling everything he had inside of me? He rolled off of me, panting into the crook of my neck as I held him to me, making me smile at how much we affected each other.

All of this was brought on by doubt and finally settled with incomparable love that would last through all the tangles of time – forever. I ran my hands through his hair, kissing his cheek as he looked into my eyes and finally moved so I was lying between his legs and he held me tight. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Bella. I got scared in all of this crazy shit happening." His voice was soft as the fire in front of us cracked and sizzled; it was the only noise to be heard in these woods.

I kissed his hands and rested my head against his chest in wonder as I stared at the flames. "I should have just told you, but I wanted it to be a surprise." _That and I really had to be sure and the only way to do that was to ask the vampire man-doctor. _"Nothing will keep me from you, Edward. Not any man, not any amount of time…nothing…especially now." I smiled as his hands went from around my waist to the bump on my stomach.

We sat, watching the fire as the sun set completely behind the forest, and when I heard him snoring I moved away and grabbed my favorite nightgown from the closet upstairs. I wasn't ready to sleep yet. I sat on the windowsill, looking at the water on the lake as I clutched a cup of tea in my hands. Well, at least I knew things women in this time didn't about how to be when pregnant. I would really miss coffee in the mornings, though. My eyes narrowed as my chest tightened and I knew I was no longer alone in these woods. I looked around, sensing the presence of something that wasn't exactly human, and jumped a little when I spotted him emerging from the thick tree line.

"Carlisle?" I wondered, slipping out the window and onto the dirt ground. He tried to catch me, but I steadied myself stealthily. "What is it? Is everything alright?" I whispered, sprinting to his side because I feared it was the only safe place in the world right about now. I looked back to the couch, saw my Edward covered in a blanket I brought from downstairs, and glanced back at the pensive vampire.

He looked at me, worry on his brow. "Everything is alright now, but Bella," he sighed and walked away from where we could be seen from the house. "There is another vampire in the area – two more to be exact."

My blood froze over and I swallowed audibly. _Two? How the fuck did that happen?_ "How? Where? Who the hell are they?" I wondered, wrapping my arms around my middle before I could flip out completely.

He stopped in front of me, assurance his first words. "Now don't worry, I've called in a few of my comrades from Alaska and they are coming to help keep you safe until the two human-drinkers have left the territory," I shuddered at his term for the new vampires, but he continued. "but you know the two people that have been changed, my dear." He whispered the last part, sighing like it was really that bad.

But how bad could it have been if I knew who they were? I mean, everyone in town that I'd come to know in my stay in 1918 had been…agreeable. "Who?" I swore I said that too low for my own ears to even hear it but he cringed and looked right into my eyes with those golden ones.

"A man named James and his woman from his human life."

He didn't even need to tell me – I knew exactly who the firecrotch bitch was already, and I knew that she would be _dangerous_. My eyes were wide as I gasped wildly, looking away from the worried man to the ominous trees around us, her name on my lips as I glanced back toward my Edward. "Victoria."

**A/N: **

**Apologies! I know it's late! But I've been kinda having a twilight-block lately. I've been starting up a new fic in an ENTIRELY different genre, and its captured my interest as of late. BUT here is the new chapter, and I hoped you liked it :D**

**OH and I was all…fuck that to the lemon thing. I added it anyway n_n**

**Review! :D**

**-Panda**


	30. Time Stands Still

**A/N: PSH! I'm as surprised as you are! I just sat down this morning and it all came to me! So here is Chapter 29, hope y'all enjoy it n_n**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine **

**Time Stands Still**

**(Bpov) **

"Thank you, Carlisle. I've never really had a true friend," I confessed blushing as he put a hand to my cheek. "But I wouldn't trade you for the world. I'm sorry to be a burden though," I frowned and he stepped closer, enveloping me into a tight embrace that was entirely alright for me but if anyone else saw this they'd think I was cheating on my husband. I didn't feel anything but warmth from his cold flesh and when I saw his smoldering eyes assure me that everything was going to be okay, I believed it.

He smiled down at me then and saw the fear had left my eyes – momentarily. He touched my cheek again, making me blush profusely, but I knew it was a touch a father might give his daughter when she worried as he tried to calm her. "Friends can never be a burden. Trust me, Bella. I'll keep you and Edward safe if it's the last thing I do." I couldn't come to understand why he'd decided this, but when he did I felt my heart swell with thanks and compassion. It was like having an invincible guardian angel on my shoulder.

He left me then, flying like the wind itself, and I wrapped my arms around my body as I walked back into the house, using the front door this time. Edward was still lying there, completely clueless that we might be in danger – or even be killed in moments. I kissed his forehead, savoring the taste of his skin on my lips, slid the blanket up his body to cover half of his delicious chest, and went upstairs to watch the sunrise. I wasn't going to be able to sleep. I knew that much already, so before I ghosted my way up here silently, I'd made a cup of tea to soothe the twitch above my eye.

There was something eating away at my brain, keeping me from sleeping because all I wanted to do was scream and then cry a little. What the fuck had we done to deserve being hunted by the world's greatest predators? I hardly thought calling someone a firecrotch was deserving of death. I rested my head on my arms that lied across the cool wooden windowpane, kneeling as I watched the light fill the dark woods and bring it to life. I couldn't help but wonder why Carlisle wanted to help me. Sure, I'd seen him in the hospital, but it was something more than that. I felt like I knew him already – before I came here. But…that was impossible.

But was it? I mean, he was a vampire after all. Meaning immortality was definitely a factor of his existence. Had I met Carlisle in my time, in some place as I grew up? I'd seen so many doctors in my youth, being clumsy and all.

I snorted.

I think even I would remember a gorgeous doctor with freezing hands and golden eyes that could melt your soul. "Stupid," I muttered to myself. "If I'd met him before he wouldn't know it anyway." _That _was true. But still, why did he feel compelled to save my life? I was sure I was thinking about this too much and finally, as the sun touched my cheeks, I gave up on figuring him out. Right now, my stomach had been flopping and turning itself over in agony – something it only did when something bad was about to happen.

"_Edward_." My eyes widened as my inner voice spoke to me and I ran down the stairs as fast as I could, stopping my charge as I saw him soundly sleeping. But then…what could it have been, tugging at my subconscious mind so early in the morning? I looked at the door, knowing something was wrong or something would be wrong if I walked out of it. I touched the wood, feeling pain splinter across my chest, and recoiled my fingers. The pain was so bewildering, why was the wood crying?

"Edward," I shook his shoulder and he sat up straight, looking around wildly until he saw the serious look on my face. He blinked a few times as I stared into his forest green eyes.

He stood up then, wrapping an arm around my small waist and stared down at me sleepily as he took a defensive stance. "What is it Bella?" He whispered, rubbing his eye with the hand that wasn't holding me beside him tightly.

"Something's wrong."

He frowned, waking up at my words, and noticed I was staring at the door. There was something coming, I didn't know how I knew it, but I did. "Are you certain?" He asked, looking at the wooden passageway as well, but he couldn't see the darkness like I could.

When I nodded he went to grab a shirt for himself and found me a pair of trousers to pull on my legs. "I swear," he grumbled to himself as I grabbed a baseball bat out of the closet. "I married a taller, more attractive Alice. How do you both just seem to _know_ that there is something wrong?" He mumbled even after I'd opened the door and stepped out into the damp autumn morning. The air was thick with guilt and remorse.

Then, a figure emerged from the fog and before Edward could react the blood in my veins turned to ice and I stopped him. "Don't, it's just Alice." He put the bat he'd stolen from my hands down and watched until his sister had caught up to the house, panting as she caught her breath. Why was Alice here in the early hours of the morning?

But I could see it in her eyes – there was already something wrong. I only sensed it because she wanted me to. "Edward," she gasped as I walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her tiny figure. I felt he same pain coming from the door, but when I saw dried tears in her eyes, I didn't let go. "It's dad, there's something wrong. He just collapsed and mom can't get him to wake up. She's called Dr. Cullen but she needs you."

I'd never seen Edward drop was he was doing and run so fast, he turned toward me and I saw fire in his eyes. "Go, for the love of God just go!" I shouted when I realized he was apologizing to me for leaving. What the fuck was he apologizing for, his dad was in trouble! Men. I turned my attention back to the pixie and watched her mask of bravery crack and fall to the ground.

Alice stayed behind with me, telling me it wasn't safe for us to be with him when I started down the road. "Women and children, Bella," she reminded me with one touch to my stomach. My little one, I remembered. I couldn't go, not if it meant endangering her.

No. No! I wasn't buying it, not for one god damn minute! I _wouldn't_ let this happen. "No, Alice," I spoke the words flooding my mind. "No! Why now? Why just after we've become happy? This can't happen!" I collapsed before her, taking her down with me as I gasped for air on my knees. I already knew what had taken Mr. Masen. I didn't need to be told.

It was like I couldn't breathe because a tremendous weight had been placed on my chest, preventing movement – preventing even thinking of a rational solution for all of this. If one person close to us had it…then who was to say the rest of us were safe?

Edward's father was sick. Sick in this day and age only meant one thing: he'd caught the fever and there was nothing to save him. He was going to become one of the hundreds of thousands of people to die because of this. "He's going to die?" I whimpered, wrapping my arms around my middle as Alice nodded sadly. My hands gripped the soil as I took in more deep breaths, only to glance at her forlorn face. Her big blue orbs of sunshine had turned to rain and I saw darkness lurking inside of them.

"I've seen it. My father will be taken from this, but anything more I don't know. It was such a horrible nightmare, walking over to see his corpse before it was buried," She shook her head and I saw tears in her eyes, so I took her into my arms. It was my turn to be strong and let her cry on my shoulder, no matter how much bullshit ran through my mind as I did. If this had spread to the man of the house, everyone else needed to get out.

"Alice," I silenced her cries long enough to get her attention, so I continued while staring into her scared eyes. "You are to move in with Jasper. He lives alone in that big house anyway and I'm sure he wouldn't mind having you there with him. And I don't want to hear one word against that. If someone's got a problem, they can come to me. Emmett and Rosalie are already too far from this to be concerned, but I won't lose you too. Elizabeth will stay with Edward and me. We're too far from town to be concerned with getting it from someone on the street."

It all sounded like a plan, a plan developed by my ability to think when shit was happening. I carried the small girl into my arms until we got to the couch and sat her down gently. She wasn't crying so much anymore, but I knew that she needed something to calm her tattered nerves. Just like I did as I worried what this would bring to the rest of us. I felt a deep sadness that Mr. Masen had caught the disease, but it kind of seemed like he wanted to – going outside without a mask on and living like there wasn't an epidemic outside of his front door.

So I may or may not have spiked our tea with honey and whiskey. She curled up into my arms and watched the trees outside of the window sway and shudder in the wind. "I felt your pain," I whispered to her as she rested her head on my chest. "I could feel the panic and anguish in my chest before you'd even got here."

Alice sighed sadly and nodded. "I'm sorry, I think I might have rubbed a bit off on you. It's useful in situations like this, I guess. I just…" she paused and hiccupped, "I just don't wanna loose everyone! My mom and dad, Jasper, you guys just as you're about to start a family…" She was going to pieces. I knew that I wouldn't die here – I would not allow that to happen.

"I'm not going anywhere, Ally," I promised, kissing her temple as she sobbed into my shirt. "Edward won't either. We're all gonna make it, I promise. If we have to move to the fucking ends of the world – some god forsaken island in the middle of nowhere – we will." She seemed assured by the conviction in my voice, but I could hear the shaking behind my bravery. I looked at the setting moon, closing my eyes as tears escaped them and I clutched Alice closer.

_Edward, please come home to me._

**(Epov)**

"Mother!" I didn't even feel out of breath as I jogged up the porch steps. I saw that she'd managed to get him onto the couch, but his mouth was foaming and his body was limp. His skin, which had always been a bit tan, turned to wax and sweat. He looked…dead. I shuddered.

But I held my mother in my arms, staring in shock at my father's fever-stricken body, and let her sob into my shirt. He was lying there, making gurgling noises and moaning incoherently. I'd imagine this would be much like Bella's zombies she told me so much about, but I couldn't see the humor while watching my father grip struggle for his life. "I've called Dr. Cullen and he's on his way, but oh my Edward," she patted my cheek as her tears stained my neck. "I don't think he's going to make it."

"Nonsense," I cut her off, snarling like an animal at the thought. If it had hit my father, what was stopping it from getting the rest of my family? Mother, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rose…I couldn't even think that last name without feeling my heart tear open. My Bella? What would I do if I came home and saw her collapsed with her eyes rolled in the back of her head – seizing because she was being eaten alive from the inside out?

"I'm sorry I'm late," a smooth voice came from the front door. He didn't bother knocking and we seriously didn't mind that. "How long ago did he collapse?" He was in full doctor mode, examining everything as he handed my mother and I masks to put over our faces.

I stared at the scene, watching as my mother told him everything that had happened, but my mind wouldn't process it. This couldn't be happening – not to my family. My mother was in shambles, Alice was going to have a stroke from the stress of what I knew she saw before it ever happened, and I could only sit back here and do nothing. It pissed me off that there was nothing I could do. My hands balled up in fists and I struck the beam in the living room when Dr. Cullen explained to my mother that he needed to be moved to the hospital straight away.

Fat lot of good it would do. He was going to die here or there, so why the fuck did it matter? I stared out the window, my breath turning ragged as my mother sobbed and left the room. Her hear was broken and it was all my father's fault! He still went to work every day – without a mask on. He still walked down the streets and greeted the neighbors – without a mask on. The fool!

"Edward," I was broken out of my stupor to see the doctor standing in front of me. "Your mother needs you. But, please, just wear the mask if you're going to be in this house, and don't go home to Bella wearing those clothes. Change outside, stay away from town, move your mother in with you. Just, please stay safe, for your family." I could hear the double meaning in his words. He was telling me to be safe for this family, but also the family that was growing inside of my wife.

He patted my shoulder when I nodded, finally letting the sadness sink in, and agreed to have him moved to the hospital to be watched over in the best possible way. My father, the man I looked up to in my youth, the man I wanted to be like when I got older – in aspects of how he cared for his family.

I walked over to where he lied, now peaceful since the doctor gave him something to sooth the burn across his skin. "Fool, how could you expect me to look after the family now, huh? Emmett's already moved out, his baby about to be born, and I've fallen in love and so has Alice. What about mom, old man? What's gonna happen to mom?" I asked him all these questions, knowing he wouldn't answer, and watched as the men Dr. Cullen had phoned moved out to take him to the hospital.

"Edward," my mother whispered and I saw she was standing beside me now. "I'm going to stay in the hospital with your father until he's…" I knew she couldn't bring herself to say the words, so I just nodded. She was going because she knew that without him her life was nothing – I could see it in her eyes. She only followed because she knew she would die with him.

"_Bella_."

The wind seemed to whisper in my ear as I watched them all drive away in the doctor's car. I looked down the road and felt my soul being pulled to her. I'd never felt this way before, but I knew that it meant I needed to be with her and with my sister. I walked, calmly now, down the path as I let news of what happened to my father into my thoughts. It almost became painful to continue and I fell beside a tree as the emotions welling up inside got the better of me.

Why? Why the fuck did this have to happen? My mother was going with him to meet her demise and how would I keep anyone else safe now? Alice, she'd stay with us until the sickness passed. I would not lose my sister. My chest tore in two and I wrapped my arms around my legs as I let the tears slide down my cheeks. Father was alive, for the moment, but I knew that what he'd brought into the house would affect us all. Perhaps even…

My head snapped up in the direction the wind pulled my soul and I couldn't help but run the rest of the way to the cottage. I had to see that she was safe. Before I opened the door, I remembered Dr. Cullen's warning. "Right," I sighed, taking off my shirt and trousers before I slid into the house from the back door. Lucky for me, Alice and Bella had taken refuge on the couch, so I went upstairs to change. I'd burn those clothes later, but for now, I rushed back to them and took Bella into my arms before she knew what was going on.

"Edward?" Alice half-shouted to get my attention, and I looked at the little pixie. Her face which always held a smile, now held tears and a deep frown.

"I'm so sorry, Alice." I whispered, taking her into my embrace as she shut her eyes and began to wail. "He's not passed away, but mother has followed him and Dr. Cullen to the hospital. He's…he's not gonna make it." My voice broke as I answered her silent question and she hugged me even tighter.

We both fell down on the ground, her gripping my shirt as I let my arms circle her shoulders. Alice was so broken. She loved our father more than anyone had and to see him go was like seeing her best friend die. She cried into my neck and when I looked up at Bella I saw sadness and confusion in her eyes. The same confusion they always had when she was deep in thought. I loved that look because I knew she was thinking about something from her past that she'd never tell me, but this day I had to look away from it and squeeze my eyes shut.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to wake him up from his comatose state and kill him myself for hurting us like this. But most of all, I wanted to know exactly what she was thinking. I always suspected it was about her life before she knew me, her life that had made her so hard, and this morning, as I let go of my sister and took a surprised Bella into my arms, I wanted to know all of those untold stories. I wanted to know her memories, to see the pictures she painted in my head with her smile, to feel her lips touch my skin…

One last time.

**A/N: **

**Ugh. I hate myself for writing this chapter, but it was inevitable. Lol. AND this is not the end, obviously, but we are getting closer to it. **

**Review it.**

**-Panda**


	31. One Step Closer

**A/N: …I hate myself for this chapter. Don't throw things at me. **

**Chapter Thirty**

**One Step Closer **

"I'm going, Edward, and there is nothing you can say that'll stop me! He's _my_ father, too!" I watched in silence as Alice pounded her little fists on her brother's chest. It had only been a day since their father was taken to the hospital, and the girl was most insistent on going because she felt the pain of all the changes going on in her life right now. She knew, too, that this was not the last life close to her to be lost.

I knew why, I felt them too. Edward's mother had returned last night, sobbing because her husband lied dying in a bed and there was nothing anyone could do for him except wait. We burned the clothes they wore inside of the house, they bathed in the lake, which I thought a bit redundant, and came inside. Our cottage had never felt so somber and broken, it was always full of so much love and passion.

I didn't blame them for feeling this way, but all that I could feel was my own impending doom creeping up my neck. Like my life was going to end, like the baby in my stomach had no hopes of surviving this either. I wondered what had me feeling that way, the feeling of hopelessness for everyone around me. I would not let any of them die. I swore that to myself. Edward and Alice would never die.

My thoughts were so chaotic, so full of the images of them lying in their own sweat and blood, and I couldn't take it. I sat up from my chair noisily, startling Alice and Edward's arguing. "I'm going out," I grabbed my jacket and three pairs of eyes looked at me fearfully. Was there something on my face? "I'll be back soon." I promised when Edward started shaking his head no.

As I was headed out the door, he grabbed my elbow forcefully, pulling me back. He was snarling every word. "Where the fuck do you think you're headed? Can't you see this is serious? You can't go into toward-" I pulled away from him, glaring, interrupting his paranoia. Of course I wasn't going into town.

"Edward I need to be alone, you know, I loved your father like I loved my own. I'm just gonna walk around the lake," I promised, letting my temper fall back. "I'll be back in an hour."

He let me go, rolling his eyes, and I dismissed his behavior. His father was dying. He had every right to be angry with the world. I just couldn't be stuck up in my own house, watching everyone cry in silence while Edward and Alice freaked out at one another. It wasn't my thing, I wanted to act and being that this wasn't something I could act on, made me insane. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling self-conscious as I strolled barefoot across the hot muddy sand. It was like the world had been turned upside-down and I was the only one still standing straight.

What if I lost him to this? What if I wasn't strong enough? I felt tears well in my eyes and I fell to my knees beside the water, my arms the only thing holding the sobs in. I felt like something was tearing me in two, the sense of death permeating through the air, and the feeling of need for my family. Alice already saw Elizabeth falling, and when I asked about Edward her eyes flashed, but she didn't say anything. _Why? What are you hiding from me, Alice? Does my husband die in my arms? Do I die in his?_ "Why?" I whispered, and felt an arm around my waist that was pulling me away from the water. I knew who it was, I would know his sunshine and warm scent anywhere. "Why is this happening now? What will I do, Carlisle?" I felt the vampire pull me into the trees, holding me sadly as I cried on his shoulder. His presence alone told me what everyone was to know in a few moments.

"I can smell the disease in his mother as well," he told me when I finally calmed down. "She won't make it a week," he shook his head and I could almost see tears in his eyes.

I already knew, I was already crying for her. The two people I wanted to know what about now were Alice and my Edward. "And Alice, Edward?" I asked, begging him with my eyes to tell me the truth.

He made sure to gaze into my warty brown orbs that sought morbid notification. "I only smell it within the mother, but that doesn't mean that they are safe, Bella. We will go up to the door together and say you saw me coming toward the house. I will deliver the news to her there, but when I should take her to the hospital to gather his personal belongings, I won't be surprised if she collapses and falls ill there. You three are to stay inside, away from the hospital." I nodded at his commands, already feeling my chest rupture for Elizabeth before she even knew it.

We got to the door and I opened it, startling everyone. The windows were shut and blinded and it was really dark inside, compared to the autumn light coming from where Carlisle and I stood. Elizabeth seemed to know immediately, and burst into tears. "He didn't make it, that stupid man! I could kill him for leaving me alone!" She wailed as Edward pulled her into his arms with tears in his own forlorn eyes. "He promised me we'd be together, he promised we'd die on the same day, in the same bed! How could he do this to me?" She sobbed and thrashed against her son's protective hold before falling into him. He looked up at me with saddened eyes and I wanted to hold him until the end of the world – which didn't seem very far from now.

Carlisle bowed his head, sighing with tears that I didn't know vampires could possess. He cared about humans, he cared about us for some unknown reason, and I felt my heart thud unevenly because of the pain around us all. "Mrs. Masen, if you would accompany me to the hospital. We simply need you to sign a few documents and take his personal belongings." She nodded, her sobs still uncontrolled, and Carlisle was quick to soothe her worry. "Whenever you'd like, time isn't of the essence, I assure you." He nodded toward the woman and stepped out onto the porch with me.

I wiped tears out of my own eyes, sniffling. Why was everything falling apart around us? Had Elizabeth and the late Edward Masen been just as Edward and I were? So very much in love with life and each other, only to have it taken away prematurely? I shuddered when I saw Edward's hollowed eyes watching me protectively from the living room where he held both Alice and his mother, being strong for everyone. "Carlisle," I whispered, knowing he would hear me. "I'm so scared, I don't know what to do." I ran my hands across my face, trying to keep from sobbing myself – Edward didn't need the burden of another woman going to pieces in his arms.

"We will do what we can, Bella." He promised, touching my shoulder gently. "I promise you, I will do what I can."

My ears perked up at that, my eyes widening at him, but before I could speak, the sweet voice of Edward' mother interrupted me and the grief on her face threw away my every thought. She looked dead herself. Her bronze hair had lost it' shine, her green eyes looked gray as she stared at the doctor, and even her alabaster skin looked gray in the morning light. She was changed, from what, I could not say.

"Dr. Cullen?" The sweet voice of Elizabeth came close and he was already standing away from me, but it looked as though we were conversing, not holding each other because I was a crying mess. "I'm ready to go with you to the hospital." She wiped her eyes clean of the few remaining tears, but I saw resolution inside of them. She had made up her mind already, and she knew what she was going to do. She looked like she was marching into battle and ready to die.

"Very well," he looked at me seriously. "Do not forget what I have told you about staying inside. Come, Mrs. Masen, I will escort you to the hospital." She followed him to a very nice looking car, and got inside before I felt a hand clasp over my shoulder. I saw Edward standing on the porch, looking down at where I was in the pine needles, my cheeks stained with tears and red from emotion.

"What are you doing down there?" I could hear the smallness of his voice and knew it was there because of the news of his father. I shook my head and jumped over the railing, taking him into my arms for a change. His head rested on my shoulder and his arms wrapped around my waist, and for a moment he stood there strong. But when my lips met his ear, his body sagged. "I'm here, Edward. I'll always be right here." I swore that I would be_. I won't die. I can't._

I felt his tears hit my neck and he grabbed me closer, crushing me to his chest as his silent tears ran down his face. "I-I don't want to lose you, too." He whispered, shaking as he spoke the words. I ran my hand down his neck and shook my head, but my lip to contain the whimper behind it.

"That will never happen. I won't be pulled from you, not even the end of the world will take me from your arms," I promised him, smiling against his skin when he pulled me closer. He'd been strong for so long, not showing any sign of weakness, but now it was his turn to mourn for the loss of his father. Alice stood in the doorway and I smiled sadly at her tear-stained cerulean eyes. This wasn't fair, not in the least, but that was life wasn't it?

I grabbed my journal, looking over at the sleeping man curled up with his sister in our bed. Alice dove into his arms after I let go of him and they eventually wore themselves out with all the tears, so I rushed them up here to sleep. It felt safer here, warmer somehow. And now he held her in his arms, bringing his favorite little sister close to him as he slept like he was keeping her safe there. "I love you," I spoke to both of them and sat down on the windowsill with the black book that was already almost full. I couldn't believe Elizabeth was in the hospital, dying from fever and grief as Carlisle explained to Alice. That only brought on more tears and tormented feelings from the orphaned siblings. I could only imagine how Emmett and Rose were. But I never thought any one could die from grief as so depicted in old films, but now that I felt this, I knew it was more than possible. I would die from it too if I were to lose the only thing in my life that made me smile.

I looked through the entries in the black book, trying to forget the world, and found myself rolling my eyes because of the first few of them.

My fingers touched the one that was entered a few months ago, and I whispered the words. "I'm enchanted. I'm staring at him," I glanced up at Edward and a small smile formed on my lips. "And he's asleep. I swear he talks in his sleep, just like I do. We just got married today and I can proudly say I am no longer a blushing virgin. Just blushing." I remembered the day and tears flooded my eyes at how beautiful it was.

It was perfect. So perfect, like the end of a fairy tale where the prince whisks his princess away into the far away castle, but the Disney version didn't show this. They showed the perfect kiss, the perfect life. Not fucking death and despair around every fucking corner. That was life, and the reason I pulled the book out in the first place. I looked at the first flower Edward gave me, pressed between a few of the pages, and took it out, smelling the jasmine from all those months ago. I turned to the last few pages, taking out a pencil and found the last words that would ever fill this book.

"Bella?" Edward rasped after he felt that the small bundle beside him was not me. I could hear the panic in his tone and shut my book, running my hands over the cover as I marked the end of it, and walked over to his side of the bed.

I sat down in front of him, wondering why the hell he couldn't see me and kept rummaging around beside him. "I'm right here, Edward," I whispered, touching his face with my hands in the dark room. He stilled and relaxed. The only light was from the candle on the windowsill I was just sitting at, and the moon that was masked by the clouds gathering beyond the trees. His head fell to my chest and he took in my smell, breathing deeply before placing a kiss above my heart.

"Love you," he mumbled, smirking in the light as I pushed his heated front off of me. He was so warm it was almost uncomfortable…

"Are you feeling alright?" I whispered, touching his pale skin as my heart sank into my stomach with a dull thud. He was sweating, so I turned on the light and found deep purple circles around his bloodshot, yellowing eyes. I fell off the bed, stumbling on the floor as my wild eyes took in his comatose face and tears filled my eyes.

"No," I whispered. "No, no, no! Please," I begged, grabbing onto his face when I found my feat. "Don't you fucking dare leave me Edward!" I shouted, smacking his pale face as his eyes rolled in the back of his head and his mouth foamed. "FUCK!" I yelled, grabbing him into my arms to lie him on the floor. I listened to his heart while Alice stirred, obviously startled by my shouting, until she saw I was working over her brother.

"Edward, please baby, please just come back. Please, you can't go. I can't do this without you. Open your eyes," I whimpered as I brought his hand to my lips and choked on the tears in my throat. "Please baby wake up." I shook his shoulder, earning a groan of pain and he shot straight up with a scream that made my heard spin until I was covering my ears and sobbing against Alice.

He sank back to the floor after only a moment of screaming like his head had been severed, and Alice held me as I sobbed and wailed loudly. His head was lying on my lap to one side, his hand was sprawled across his chest unnaturally, and blood trickled down my leg, spreading its warmth into the wooden floors of our bedroom. "Alice, he's bleeding Alice what the fuck are we gonna do? What's happening?" I shrieked at her, wiping the blood from his mouth with my thumb as I held him up to my chest.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, shaking her head at me. "This is why I didn't tell you," she mumbled and my eyes widened in shock. "I'm going to call Carlisle."

Carlisle. He could help! "Go, hurry!" I shouted, making her run down the stairs.

I held him to my chest, sobbing against his warm bronze hair. "Edward, why did this happen? Weren't we going to live forever, fight them all, and fuck the world up until we found our place?" I wondered as I grabbed his hand in mine and kissed his forehead. I watched as his face paled even more and felt my heart beat in sync with his – so painfully slow I gripped my chest and curled into him to try and make the pain stop. I needed him to live, I needed him to breathe. "I love you. I've always loved you. I've gone through a hundred fucking years to love you, Edward." I confessed, making his brows crease as he panted through the poison in his chest.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to bring you back to me and then I'm going to tell you everything," I swore that he would know. He would know who I was and what I'd done before I came and found myself in him. "I'm going to watch you get old, I'm going to die beside you in our meadow. I'm gonna watch your eyes warm when this baby is born and smile when it grows up to be so much like you." I pressed our connected hands to my stomach and felt his tighten. He could hear me.

"I love you," I pressed my lips to his ear. "I'll always be your Bella, Edward." I didn't care what happened after tonight, this man would never stop being my Edward. No matter what happened.

Alice rushed back up the steps and stopped at the door. She had a mask over her face and handed me one that I rejected venomously. "Carlisle is on his way." He should be here very soon then. I knew his speed, and when he heard that this was happening I'm sure he was already ready for it. He couldn't smell it in Edward, but it had happened anyway. He could only tell me he would do everything it took to save the man I loved, and I believed him.

"B-Bella," Edward croaked, glaring up at me with bloodshot eyes of incoherence. "Where's my Bella?" He gasped, reaching up like he couldn't see me. I pressed his hands to my face and bent down so our noses were touching. His eyes softened and he shut his eyes, but not like he had before.

"I feel like shit." He admitted and I grinned down at him. "I'm dying, aren't I?" He whispered, looking up at me again with tear-filled green orbs of sorrow.

"No," I growled, shaking my head. "I won't let you die, Edward. Forever, remember?" My voice shook when his eyes sagged, but he nodded and coughed up more of the red liquid staining my white dress.

"For always."

"Here," Alice gave me a cool rag and a bucket filled with ice water. I dabbed at his forehead, earning a groan of satisfaction from him. His skin was hot to the touch and I was sweating beneath him. I had an idea, something people did even in these times to get someone's temperature down.

"Alice, could you please start a bath with cool water, and put ice in it?" I begged. She only nodded and went to the bathtub in the room across beside ours. I could hear the water, but also our front door opening and saw Carlisle at the top of the stairs before I could ever blink.

"How long has he been like this?" He wondered, monitoring the sounds inside of his chests as he touched it and his back.

I blinked a few times, remembering the place of the moon. "Only maybe twenty minutes, but it's felt like forever," I laughed, wiping the drops off of his mouth when he coughed them up. "I don't care," I answered before the doctor could scold me. "I'm staying beside him and nothing will change my mind. If he dies, I die." I spoke with such selfishness, such resolve that I couldn't believe I would sacrifice the child inside of me if he were to die.

But if Edward were to die here, this night, what was to say that I wasn't? My eyes shut and I fought tears from spilling from them. Now wasn't the time to cry. I had to be strong for the confused eyes staring up at me hopelessly.

"Very well," the doctor sighed. "I see the people from your time have a general knowledge of what to do when one has a fever. The ice bath is a good idea. Let me help you bring him to the tub." It was probably one of the hardest things I had to do, letting him out of my arms in that moment, but I managed to let Carlisle's vampire strength scoop him up – away from me. He sat Edward in the water, even when my husband hissed in pain from the difference in temperature.

"He won't go into shock if we ease him into it." He explained to Alice as he set his feet in first. "Leave his clothing on, it will serve as a coolant when we take him out." I nodded and took the man's hand when his head lolled to the side of the tub I was standing on.

"I feel so weak," he managed just above a whisper. "I love you, Bella."

"Don't you fucking even think about saying goodbye to me, Edward Masen." I snarled, glaring with the coldest expression I could muster. "I've told you before I will not allow you to die." But, what was I except mortal and powerless? Who was to say I would stop his death? I felt a feeling of blackness in my mind, pulling me away, but I ignored it and sat beside the man as Carlisle finally eased his entire body into the cool water he was already warming up.

"He can't hold his head up," Carlisle sighed, and moved to help, when I maneuvered around Edward's body and sat inside of the chilly water behind him. His head pressed against my chest and he coughed, staining my skin with more blood. I didn't care, whatever it took to see him more comfortable I would do it. I sobbed silently against his skin when Alice and Carlisle left the bathroom, giving us a few moments alone.

I wouldn't see him die here. I couldn't watch his green eyes fade as his mother's had this afternoon. I held his head up and he smiled at me. "Beautiful girl," he whispered, kissing my neck. "I love you."

"I'll always love you, too my Edward," I promised, shaking as I remembered what had happened this afternoon, and my mind was made up. There was a way to save him, a way I'd never thought possible until he told me of James and Victoria. It had been foremost in my dreams and forever etched into my memories. I kissed Edward's cheek, promising him silently that I would get us out of this, and remembered the conversation outside this morning.

"_We will do what we can, Bella." He promised, touching my shoulder gently. "I promise you, I will do what I can." _

"Carlisle," I called the doctor back into the room as his words echoed in my mind. When I looked up at him he must have seen the words on my tongue for his shoulders slumped. "I want you to do everything in your power to save him." Selfish words for a selfish purpose. He narrowed his golden orbs at me in confusion before intent was set to purpose in his mind.

He hissed down at me, glaring deeply. "You know not of what you ask!"

"I know that you are immune," I whispered back harshly. "I know whatever you are, vampire, immortal, whatever can save him!" I was shaking as he bared his teeth at me, snarling under his breath.

He gripped my shoulders, glaring at me with hardened eyes that seemed to have gone black with rage. "I will not take fate another human to this life, not if they have the option to live!"

"He won't!" I cried, burying my face in my hands as he froze, realizing his own words and how deep they struck me. "He won't live Carlisle! If I don't get sick and he does, what am I to do with a child and no husband? It's not like in my time where any woman can get a job and support her kids alone! I need him Carlisle, our child needs him as a vampire or as a human. I could give a shit less, I just want my Edward to live to see his first child's eyes open. I want him to hear its first words and see it take its first steps. I want to come home to his arms every day and love him as I love him now." I found myself crying, sobbing into Edward's neck s as I held him closer. The doctor looked down at me now with much warmer eyes.

"Please," I whispered. "Do whatever you can to save him. I'll only ever ask this one thing of you Carlisle, and you can hate me forever for it. Please, _please_ don't let him leave me." I begged, looking up at him with what I knew was the most pitiful expression I'd ever worn. I didn't care, I was desperate, I needed him to stay beside me. I needed him to love me and the child inside of me, no matter what that meant.

He frowned, but nodded. "I will do everything in _my_ power to save Edward. I'll do it for the first friend I've had in two hundred years," he smiled as he grazed my cheek with his cold hand. "I only ask that you understand if he is changed he won't be able to be alone with you for at least a year without much difficulty. We will move, we will have hardships, and your life and that of the child's will be in danger around him. Our kind are very unstable, especially in the first months of this life and it will be hard-"

"I don't care," I vowed. I didn't care if he was a different person, as long as his heart stayed mine I would stand beside him for as long as I was to live. "It doesn't matter, we can overcome anything." I knew it was true. Edward and I had overcome our families, hatred, fights that meant nothing and everything at the same time. If I was beside him and he was beside me, we could do anything and I knew it.

Carlisle looked from me to the man in arms a few times, and finally his face went from tormented to firm. I sighed in relief, my tears finding me again, and felt myself drifting away. My eyes were wide open, but the scene before me had turned gray on the edges, like at the end of The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy sees everything in black and white again. I rubbed my eyes, when the cold from the water left my body and begged for Carlisle to reach me in this darkness. I only saw light from the picture in my mind approaching me quickly, like my mind was reflexively going from unconscious to back in Edward's arms. I saw his pale face, I felt his warm skin, and relief flooded me once again. I ran toward the blinding vision of him, hope on my tongue before the sound of a horn erupted through the night.

And everything went black.

**A/N:**

**AHHHHHHHHHASGAHSGKADSGAKDSGHA**

**Review **

**-Panda**


	32. Cold

**A/N: AHHHHH : O Every time I write another chapter it makes me angrier at myself!**

**AND welcome to this story the multiple perspective chapter of doom! MUhahah! **

**Chapter Thirty-One **

**Cold**

**(Bpov)**

I opened my twitching eyes, felt the cold air around me, and was breathless at what I saw.

**ZXD-685**

The Evergreen State

Dale's Honda – The Honda of Port Angeles

Yeah, I was staring up at a license plate, but not one from the time that I'd fallen so much in love with. One from 2005, with the tags to be renewed in 2007, and not to mention it was a fucking silver Honda. "No," I whispered to myself as I looked down at my black covered legs, my Blondie shirt and leather jacket, but also the expensive motorcycle lying next to me on the pavement.

It was like nothing had happened. I never fell over that edge, I never hit that tree, and I never met those green eyes that melted me. My memories betrayed what my mind shouted. My eyes closed when the lights dimmed down into nothing and I saw his face when I told him I loved him. His smile when we were married. The tears in those green orbs when I told him I was going to have our first child.

My hands immediately ran to my stomach and fisted the black cotton. My eyes widened.

…I felt nothing. No bump, no warmth from the life growing there, and no feeling of Edward inside of me anymore. "N-no," I stammered, unable to even produce tears when the owners of the Honda slammed their doors and ran to my aide. "No, it's gone…he's…?" I rocked back and forth, holding the twinges of agony inside of myself. I was mumbling incoherencies to the people surrounding me, the people worried that they'd hit me with their car, but they were so blind. There wasn't a fucking scratch on me made by their stupid car. I gasped when the pain thrashed inside of me like an angry black wave of the ocean.

I lost my little love.

I lost _him_.

I lost my family.

I was never going to see any of them ever again. Time had taken away the only thing in the world that mattered to me: Edward. The boy with the green eyes that also barely missed hitting me with his car was gone to me forever. "No, please, what year is this?" I begged, touching the man's hand shamelessly, but then I realized that wasn't bad in this time. "Please, no, this can't be fucking happening! Marie told me this wouldn't happen while I felt like this!" I screeched, burying my mascara-stained cheeks into my arms as I sat on the street and sobbed. The cold rushed through my veins, the seeping dread spread to my heart and it thudded lethargically below my breast.

The man scooped me up into his arms when he saw me moving, and set me on my feet. "Oh my God! Kid are you okay?" The big man asked while touching my shoulder as I wailed to myself and clutched the absence in my stomach. My heart was torn to pieces because he wasn't here beside me and neither was the miracle we'd created together. "Damn it! Amy call a fucking ambulance! I think she's hurt."

As if on cue, I stood alone, against the man's wishes and looked at the black forest around me. He had to be there, our home had to be out there. I was hallucinating, dreaming that this was happening because of the stress from seeing him dying in my arms. I had to be dreaming. "Edward!" I shouted, looking for him in the darkness. "Please hear me, Edward!" I begged, finding tears staining my cheeks when I didn't hear his raspy voice calling back to me in the night. He wasn't here…he wasn't…

"Yeah, she's screaming about someone named Edward, he's probably her boyfriend or something. I think we might have hit her, please hurry." The woman clicked away on her iPhone. The man wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and moved my bike beside me against the guardrail. I couldn't think. I couldn't feel. I couldn't speak.

"I'll never see him again," I whispered when the man walked back over to his wife worriedly.

I'd never see Edward again.

I'd never feel his smile on my skin. I'd never kiss his lips and taste heaven across them. I'd never watch our child grow up beside him as we aged and withered into time. I would never feel his love warm my heart when I was thrown into such despair I that saw no way out except for him. I would never hear his smile or see his laugh. I'd never huddle close to him when it was cold at night.

My Edward…was lost to me.

"Gone," I mumbled, touching the scrapes across my hands from falling on the road. My wedding ring wasn't even on my finger anymore. I'd left it on the dresser in our room when he fell ill. I could hear the sirens through the darkness and they pulled me out of my trance, staring at the empty skin on my left hand. "Fuck," I mumbled, rubbing my tears away with my sleeve, but they wouldn't stop coming. My breathing came in pants and I couldn't stand anymore. I fell to my knees, hearing the fabric tear, and I clutched my sides to keep the skin below my fingertips from ripping to shreds.

Red and blue lights flashed over my face and I saw a man working over me, checking everything when I became unresponsive.

My eyes lost focus and I saw him sitting beside me in the meadow, lazily kissing across my neck until I fell below him with a smile on my face. The sun was shining down on us, across that sideways smirk on his face. _"Are you okay, my sweet Bella?"_ he whispered, kissing the place below my ear until I smiled up at him.

I nodded and touched his face, drinking in the way he looked at me with those eyes. "No. I miss you." I could feel the chill from the ground below me and when my eyes opened I was in the rain again, my hand outstretched toward nothingness.

Edward helped me out of my madness. He pulled me out of my own fucking grave. He brought me to life again when I saw nothing. I was alive because of his kindness, because of the love we shared. I'd breathed deeper than I ever had before when I was with him. I was home in his arms. When I slipped he was there to catch me before I fell. When I lied with my back against the ground he lied beside me, holding me and telling me everything was alright because we were together. He found my heart when I thought it was dead and gone and saved it for me. I owed him everything. And now the sweet insanity that had been pushed so far away when he was around pulled me into the darkness with it.

"_I love you_." The wind whispered as the sunshine kissed my cheeks, his bronze hair glowed in my grasp as I looked up toward the sunlight inside of the meadow. The cherry trees spread blossoms around us that sunk into the ground like the falling rain.

"I love you too," I whispered, blinking when the rain touched my face again and the vision was gone. I was crying to the night, begging it to bring me back to that day.

"Bella!" I turned toward the voice of the tattooed man running toward me. He looked so worried, so foreign that I didn't recognize him until I saw his blue eyes.

I touched his nose. "Frankie," I found a broken smile for my brother when his hand touched the side of my face. "I thought I'd never see you again." I confessed, touching his hand with mine when his brow creased.

"What are you talking about, you've only been gone for an hour at most, Bells. Come on," he grabbed toward my spot on the ground and I shook my head. "We've gotta go to the hospital, Bella. You're hurt."

_You can't even imagine how much_. "No," I stood up and threw the blankets they wrapped around me off. "I won't let this be the end. I have to find Edward," I whispered, but he'd heard me.

"Who? Bella, wait, Bella!" I shoved him away from me, using strength I didn't know I had and ran toward the black bike beside the guard rail. "What the fuck are you thinking?" He yelled when I picked my bike up, shoving the bastard EMT's off of me. I straddled the monster, shaking my head as he yelled at me to turn it off and get in the ambulance. I wouldn't accept this. This was not the end. It wasn't the end until I saw that he was dead. Carlisle was in my house when I was taken back. He had to have seen everything and followed through with my desires.

_Edward has to be alive_. I touched my stomach and felt hope when the skin warmed. _He has to be_.

I gunned the throttle, sending myself racing down the peninsula in the thick sheets of rain. I knew exactly where I needed to go, exactly what I needed to do, and I wasn't going to let time or anything else stop me. I was going back to him in this life or in my death – no matter what it took.

* * *

><p>"Why <em>must<em> we go?" I imitated the way she spoke the words, rolling my eyes at her excited smirk. She was always so irritating. "I do not want to go back there." I snarled when her mind spoke to me, showing me the place where our father had found me dying in the forest. I growled when she shrugged and packed my bags anyway.

"Oh shut up," she giggled. "Let's go, we're gonna miss the plane."

I grabbed her tiny wrist, feeling my eyes go black with rage. "I will not go back there."

She rolled her eyes again, pushing me away with her strength. "I didn't ask you to. We're going for the shopping! It's fashion week and the parents both said I could go, so you're coming to hold the bags." There was something more, something she wasn't telling me. I sifted through her mind, finding exactly what it was had been put behind a mental block she created to keep me from knowing. I hated when she did that. She knew of my abilities and over these hundred years had perfected blocking them when she didn't want to be read.

With a snarl in the back of my throat that was cut off by her mate glaring his golden eyes at me, I grabbed the keys to my Volvo and stomped to the garage. She only wanted me to go so I could drive and hold the things she bought. She didn't even consider the fact that going back…_there_…hurt so much that I couldn't breathe even when I didn't need to. I didn't know why every time I smelled _that_ city the scent of strawberries and spice always dismayed my long forgotten heart. It called to me; the cherry blossoms in the city distorted my vision and showed me one of a goddess lying below me with the most perfect smile across her pink lips in a meadow of flowers and tall sweet grass.

Only I didn't know who the goddess was or why she tempted me only when I was back _there_. She was so beautiful it actually pained me. I'd found myself curious about women ever since I went back there for the first time. I was always trying to find the feeling she invoked in me, and even in women – killers – like myself I found nothing. Nothing compared to the way she made my heart actually feel like it was beating in my chest.

No. It hadn't beat for many, many years and I knew that it never would again. My hand fell against the wooden beam in the garage when these foreign tears infiltrated my eyes. I shut them, and I was in that meadow, lying above her again.

"_Why do you look so sad_?"

"I miss you," I whispered, clutching the wood beneath my hand until it cracked. How could I miss something I'd never met before?

"_I'm right here_." She placed my hand above her heart with a smile that melted my undead skin.

"I love you," I confessed as my closed eyes gave me her smile again.

"_Forever_." She whispered, and the warmth of the summer's rain that was her touch left me cold. She was gone, and I was left standing in the darkness alone as I had been since the day I was bitten.

I loved the woman of my imagination; she was always there, safely tucked away from the world, and would never leave me due to the decay of time. Time was fluid for everyone on this planet, for all living things, and because of it everything came to end – except me. I finished the words spoken in my head so many times, smiling for the first time in decades at her deep chocolate eyes. "For always."

* * *

><p>(Bpov)<p>

"Thank you for flying with us, we hope you enjoy your stay!" The overly perky stewardess commented as I grabbed my luggage and headed out of the big plane. I glared at her, cursing her fucking kindness when all I could see was the world turning to shit around me. After I hit Seattle I'd had enough of the rain and dipped into my credit card funds to buy a one-way ticket back to my home. My _real_ home.

Frankie had called me nonstop so finally when I got into the rainy city of Seattle, I dropped my phone into the sound; hoping iPhones didn't get reception underwater.

Now I stood before a town I didn't know. It had changed so much over these hundred years, but I didn't need a map to lead me home. I could feel it calling out to my soul, calling me to its warmth. I was at the airport, which had been an airport all of those years ago too. I needed to get across town. "Maybe the address is still the same," I mumbled, tapping my chin as I contemplated taking the yellow cab in front of me.

I smirked at the bored looking cabby and read off the address of the old Masen house, hoping it hadn't been demolished by the city's expansion. "Ah, the old district. You got family there, kid?" He wondered, eyeing me suspiciously. I was sure I didn't smell very good and my ripped up clothes made me look like I was looking for trouble so I didn't blame him for asking. I was just glad that the place hadn't been torn to the fucking ground yet.

"Something like that," I responded, the familiar coldness of my voice creeping through my farce. I'd become so fucking cold since last night. I could feel ice clouding my dead heart and felt my skin pale in the sunlight of the summer unnaturally. I looked sick. I was sick. I was broken into hundreds of pieces every time I heard his voice call my name in my mind. Every time I saw his smile tears stained my cheeks. Was this all I would be left to remember? Memories of his touch, his love, his smile would haunt me forever?

We left the city skyscrapers for a territory that looked like something from my memories. I gasped at what I saw, feeling my eyes gather even more wetness at the summer sunlight touching the neighborhood. The grass was lush and green, the houses were spaced apart, and when we got to the park in front of restored old houses, he looked at me expectantly. "Here, take it."

I shoved the cash through the window and slammed the door, slinging my backpack over my shoulder as I stared up at the big, white house. It was exactly the same. My eyes flashed and I saw Elizabeth smiling with iced tea from the window swing. She was gone when I blinked and so was the feeling of hope that I was still dreaming all of this. The front porch with the rocking chairs and swing bolted to the roof hadn't changed. The flowers were even the same as they had been back then, beautiful and blossoming in the sunshine. I stepped toward the gate, touching the metal brought memories of all the times I'd touched this fence before we fled to the meadow that brought us solace from the customs of the rest of the world.

"_Come on, Bella!"_ His voice sang as he ran from me. I glared at him, grabbed my guitar and went after him, laughing when we both tripped and fell inside of the meadow, holding each other close. His lips touched mine, his eyes danced in the sun. When we parted he kissed my cheek and ran his hands down my sides, whispering sensual nothings in my ear.

"_So beautiful…"_

"Excuse me," an old woman asked from the porch when she saw the conflict in my eyes, the memory flashing from just one touch of this place. "Can I help you?"

I blinked a few times, shaking my head with tears in my eyes. "N-no." She certainly wouldn't be able to. She looked like she was a hundred years old. She couldn't have been anyone I knew, that was for sure. "I'm sorry, I'm sure I've got the wrong address."

She gazed at me, squinting her eyes until her lips formed a sweet smile that would warm anyone's soul. "Why don't you come in for tea, dear? You look like you've been through one too many hard days and I don't believe I could live with myself if I let you just walk away now." My eyes widened when she started walking down the steps, and I went right inside of the gate to help her back up the porch.

"Okay, okay, I'll have some tea with you," I smiled as I took her arm and helped her up the steps. Stubborn old woman, she could tell I was gonna walk away so she made me come up here to help her. Cunning old people would be the downfall of the world, I swore it.

I walked into the house and almost collapsed from the weight of the air. It was so warm, so much the same as it had been. The furniture was newer; the photographs were colorful and full of many children and grandchildren's smiles, but they were in the same place my wedding photos once were – above the fireplace. This woman had seen everything. There were pictures of her wearing sunhats in a time that I hadn't lived to see, and holding a child with a burly looking man beside her. "You have a beautiful family." I commented as she hobbled over to the kitchen and grabbed a pitcher of iced tea off the marble countertop.

"Thank you," she smiled kindly and handed me a glass. We sat in the living room I'd sat in so many times and I felt my soul screaming for release from the torture. "Now tell me what's going on in your head." She commanded, sipping at the cool drink. I loved how she asked like she knew me, like she was a friend of mine for many years.

"You wouldn't believe me if I did," I laughed, looking at the familiar wooden floors from this home. This was where Edward's father collapsed. This was where Carlisle examined me for the first time. This was where I fell in love with his mysterious eyes…

She laughed, brining my widened eyes back up to where she sat with her legs folded under herself. She took off her glasses and I watched as her amused blue eyes danced in the afternoon sun. "Try me."

* * *

><p>I could feel the longing inside of my chest the moment my feet touched the street at the airport. I could feel her, her little fingers wrapping around my heart, calling to me. "<em>Come to me.<em>"

The woman who had dragged me here glared at me, waving her hand in front of my face. "Are you feeling okay?" I shook my head, nodding that it was nothing for her to concern herself with. The sun was so bright, so untouchable with all of the eyes around us: the sun that was so much like her pale skin, gleaming in the light under the blush across her cheeks.

I glared at the short, pixie girl and growled. "Explain to me how are we supposed to go anywhere in this light with all of these humans?"

She smiled at me, handing me something and I couldn't believe my eyes at what I looked down at. "An umbrella? My dear love, you've lost your mind." The man beside her sighed, taking her hand in his while we all stood fearful of the way people eyed us curiously. He took his mates arm and pulled her away from the sun covered doors, but she just rolled her big eyes and strolled away from us.

"No I haven't," she smirked, walking out with the bright yellow umbrella. "Three, two…" And clouds covered us, the sky blackening with a summer storm that brewed beyond the horizon. The umbrellas were not protection from the sun but from the rain we could all smell in the clouds above.

"_My love_."

"Mmm," I stopped on the sidewalk, letting my feet falter as she whispered in my ear, playing with my hair and kissing my neck. I could smell her close to me, her warmth sinking into my cold skin, and felt a smile touch my face when she whispered my name.

"Hey," an annoying voice tried to pull me away from the goddess and I watched her eyes close but the smile across her lips hadn't gone. "Hey!"

"What do you want?" I snapped, glaring at the girl I called my sister only to notice I was cracking the side of a building with the strength in my hand. "Oh," I let go, hoping that no human's detected the wane of my charade.

We walked a few blocks down the road when that scent hit me across the face. It was spicy like patchouli, sweet like summer rain across a strawberry field, and fresh. My eyes narrowed, my brow creased, and I felt the need to touch my nose to the cement like a dog to track the smell of my goddess that seemed to be all around me. "I have to go," I mumbled to my siblings. The girl did not question me, but her mate's eyes flashed with wonder. "I'm sorry," I apologized for ruining her trip, but the trail was fresh, a trail of summer tears that belonged to...her smile flashed across my mind blinding me from the cold of the world even if only for a moment.

I touched the warmth below my skin, where my heart should have been and frowned. I could feel it beating yet it made no noise. I made a promise to the warmth where her hand had been, securely over the dead heart I thought I had lost long ago. "I will find you."

* * *

><p>She sat with her hands folded across her lap, a smile across her face and looked up at me with saddened eyes. I'd given the old woman the "human" version of my tale – leaving out the fact that Carlisle was a vampire. I explained about my trip back a hundred years from now and she took it with a blink of her eye, like I was telling her that the sun was warm. I gathered the courage to tell her about my Edward, to share his warmth with her and tell her of how much I missed it. I spoke of the illness, making her eyes harden, and explained that he was dying when I was taken back and I didn't even know if he made it out of that bathwater. I didn't know if Carlisle saved him.<p>

"I see," she mumbled and grasped my hand. "I believe there is a light in any darkness of this world, Bella. Whatever rules the universe has a plan for everything, including my old soul and yours. We were fated to meet this day, I could feel it in my heart. I lost my dear husband just last year and I know what it is to be alone as you are. And I know of the boy you speak of. The young Edward Masen, who lived in this house with his family until he was married," She narrowed her withered eyes when I nodded, fear twisting my chest. She knew about me, but did she know I was the one he wed? I was the one that abandoned him as he died all of those years ago?

She pointed down the road beside her house, a road cracked with time grayed and marred with age. "I believe you will find what you seek there," I felt my insides chill at the heavy tone in her sweet voice, "beside the lake."

I stood, unable to understand how my legs found the strength to. "You are welcome here when you've found what you seek to, Bella." She promised as she opened the front door to my tear stained face. I didn't even know I still had tears to cry after all this time being drenched in sadness. I wrapped my arms around my waist and looked toward the road to a place I once called home. The trees were haunting, the road was cracked and broken, the brush from underneath had claimed it once again. I recalled the path, a path made by the wildlife and not humans. Was it still there beyond the sunflower garden?

I pulled back the branches of two large oak trees and found the pathway we walked down on our wedding day as clear as it had been that autumn evening. I smiled as my hands touched the bark of the tree, feeling my sadness seep into it. I wandered down the trail of time, shut my eyes when I smelled the sweet honeysuckle around the bend, and sucked in a short breath at what I saw before me. He carried me into the warm walls, kissing me with everything he had. It was so perfect, my home, our home, the place created from our love.

But standing before me as a requiem of that adoration and love that was falling to the very ground I stood on. The windows were broken and marked by spray paint; the front door wore a condemned sign that was bright yellow like the poppies in the front garden, and the wooden steps that lead into the broken down home were cracked and broken. I jumped up onto the porch, feeling it wobble below my feet and pushed the rotten door open hurriedly. I had to see it, had to see that it had been loved like Elizabeth's home had. My eyes were wide as they drank in everything. I didn't understand how it could come to this. It had been so beautiful, so open and warm. Now, it lay in the dark shadows of the forest like a haunted house from a fictitious story. The furniture hadn't been touched; the china in the kitchen hadn't been used. There was still blood on the stairs from where Alice rushed down them to find water that night.

The pictures on the wall were cracked and peeling with age. The beautiful wall of windows that looked out to the unchanged lake was broken and a cold breeze ran through the empty house. I touched the oak railing of the stairs, tears pouring out of my eyes at the state of our home. It was like looking into a mirror of another life, a life where everything good and wholesome was evil and empty. My head lulled over to look up the steps and I was already halfway up them because of what I saw. More spray painted bullshit, across pictures of us that had peeled away and crusted, there were flowers from that night that wilted and were turned to ash inside of a glass vase. I wandered down the unfamiliar hallway, mourning the loss of the only thing I knew in this extraneous world.

I pushed the heavy door to our room open and found it was in the same state as the rest of our home: untouched, unused, and forgotten with time. This room, however, was untouched by the outside world. My hairbrush from that morning still lay on the floor where I'd dropped it. I picked up the white brush, touching the worn out spokes with my fingers as my eyes graced the rest of the dust-covered room. The bed was still up against the wall, the sheets were still stained with his sweat and brown stained blood splatter. The pool beside it had dried into the wood, creating a stain as old as time that would never come out.

The window was still open and I was almost surprised that it hadn't been broken like the rest of the things I loved. I walked over to the dresser, finding my ring still lying on the heavy wood – untouched, but a little dusty. I slipped the diamond embedded white gold on, seeing his eyes the first time the minister called me his wife. "_Bella_," he whispered in my ear as I swayed in the unnatural cherry blossom scented wind. "_I will always be with you."_

"Always and forever," I reminded myself when my fingers touched the worn leather of the journal I left beside the windowsill and the wind stopped. "You promised." I accused him, finding my heart thudding slowly like my blood was made of molasses. I opened the pages, cherishing the fact that my words hadn't been lost to time and turned to the last page.

_August 21__st__, 1918 _

_Life's thrown me some motherfucking curveballs this week, but I can't seem to find it in myself to hate that I came here to be put through this. I can't find it in myself to hate anything that has happened. I'm sad because of the death, I'm sad because I'm uncertain of what will happen to us, but I know one thing will always be true: Edward will always be in my heart and I will always be in his._

_And that's all I will ever need. _

Those were the last words I wrote that very night. If I hadn't wrote them, would I have stayed beside him as he died? I left the room, finding the action of moving the covers to straighten the bed something that tore the crevasse inside of me even more. I walked to the bathroom, opening the door wide to see what was left. The tub was empty, lined with red and copper from age and I couldn't tell if anyone had been removed from it. I couldn't tell if he'd ever made it out of this tub alive and breathing. There was blood on the tiles, blood on the walls, even blood on the side of the tub that had dried and became part of it over the years. I touched the porcelain fixture and saw him holding me in this tub, kissing my neck and pressing his hard manhood into me. "_I love you_," he gasped when I turned and sank down on top of him, filling both of us with need.

I shook the memory from my head; even though he was in it I couldn't find the desire in my heart to see our love so pure and raw. I felt nothing but this dreadful cold inside and outside of my chest. I grasped the fabric above my heart and thunder roared across the sky. The sunshine had vanished and rain leaked through the beams and wooden walls easily. Finally, the climate decided to take a turn for the emotion I felt on the inside and mirrored the raging war inside of my heart. I went back to the room, found myself kneeling before the dresser, and pulled out a photo album from the day of our wedding.

I smiled down at the worn photos, touching the black and white of our union into that life. He was holding my waist and I was smiling at him instead of the camera, and so was he. I didn't even know this picture had been taken. We were so happy. "_I'll always happy with you_," he whispered again, bringing back the warm wind, "_my love_." I felt his arms circle me and couldn't take the madness from these memories any longer. I slammed the book shut, shoved it into my bag, and ran out of the creaky old house. I ran down the road, taking to the forest. I pushed the branches that slapped across my face out of my way as I fled from the scene I used to call my life with wide, terrified eyes.

Nothing stayed the same. Time consumed all.

I ran across the street, diving into the thick brush beyond the park as I searched for anything that stayed the same over this time. Where was it? Where was he? I gasped as the thicket cut my skin, drawing my blood as I went further toward the clearing ahead of me. Light from the storm flashed across the sky, sending cold ice through my veins. The rain pelted my skin, the wind whipped around my face, stinging it like alcohol on a wound. When I popped out of the forest, shaken and disturbed by the black images of his death before me, I was stuck staring directly at something from my nightmares. I swallowed the thick terror that was caught in my throat and walked away from the gray tree line. I saw death all around me, grabbing at my ankles in the knee high grass. I wandered through the lines, taking in the faded names across each gray, decaying stone sticking out of the earth. This place, which had always been so beautiful and sacred to me, was turned into the final resting place of the dead bodies six feet under my feet.

The only living things were two white and pink cherry blossom trees across the clearing – in a space where the dead hadn't been laid. My meadow was right beside a graveyard, shrouded in the darkness of the rain and lightning around me. I shut my eyes, letting the rainwater drench my front as I turned my head toward the sky and saw something not of this world. I could feel the tree's flower petals kissing my cheeks, I could drink in the sunlight on my tongue and feel his warmth across my skin as he held me close. I saw under the tree, my eyes ever shut to the vision of our happiness, and heard his voice in my ear. "_Bella."_

"Edward."

He smiled against my cheek, taking my hands in his as I sat between his legs. "_Do you ever wonder why these trees are here, in the middle of the forest where no one has ever planted anything from Japan before?_" I frowned and looked over at his green eyes, shaking my head.

"I can't say I have, but now that you mention it, it is kind of strange that they would be out here where no one can love them," I remarked, staring up at the haze of pink and white. He pulled me closer to his chest and I was lying across him, staring up at the beauty of nature around us. My memories were cruel, sending me to a time when things seemed so easy.

He smirked and kissed my forehead. "When I asked my mother about these trees, because they're so different, she always told me they were put here by a woman that planted a single tree right here in the middle of the forest. She was looking for her lover, who had died long ago but came to her in her dreams and her mind when she was sad and needed him. He came to her one night, beckoning her from her sleep, and she followed him through the forests and found him standing under the maple, just there." He pointed toward the ancient maple tree behind us. "She ran to him, embracing him, and he told her not to cry anymore, to feel peace and love instead of the sadness. He told her that time was fluid and ever changing, but that love lasted forever, like the love he had her for her inside of his heart."

My chest tightened, even now as I watched us smiling in the summer. The time around us had stopped and it was only fair that it had begun again, though if our love would last even after we died. I thought of my father's death that day, as I did now, and realized it didn't matter how much time had passed since I had seen him because I would always remember his warmth and love toward me and our family. Was that what I was meant to learn from Edward, to love and lose that love from this world but regain it in the next? I looked back up at Edward, begging to know what the woman did. "She promised him that she would not shed another tear for his death, but smile for every day that he lived. She came here the next morning with the small cherry tree and planted it beside the spot they met in the night. She planted it to show that mortality, death, meant nothing to love. Love was only seen by those who weren't blind to time, weren't blind to age and limits, it never died and neither would the tree." He looked up at the sturdy bark of nature and smiled softly to himself.

"And look, the tree has begun a family…just like we are."

He smiled as he poked my nose and kissed away my tears. It had, and now a large, robust tree blossomed beside it in the swaying wind. My eyes reopened and I found the courage to stare my nightmare down. I touched the headstone between the trees with the tips of my fingers, sinking to my knees when I read the letters across it. I'd seen them so many times it should have felt like the rain was customary and I shouldn't have been able to cry anymore. But the rain was colder than it had ever been, the lightning brighter than the sunshine, and my tears flowed out of my eyes.

"It's so warm," I whispered, touching his name that was etched across the stone. And it was just like he was in his life: so warm like the honey sunshine of his scent. He didn't make it after that night. He died and I wasn't even there to say I loved him more than anything. My head bowed at the sight, I couldn't look anymore, I couldn't…

"I wish I could have saved you," I whispered to the ground where he lay for all eternity. "I miss you, Edward. I miss you…" I couldn't find the words. There weren't any. How did you find words to tell the person you loved that you were sorry for letting them die alone? "I'm so sorry," I cried, covering my face as the tremors wracked my broken body and noiseless sobs spilled past my lips.

I could feel his warmth, holding me so close that I almost believed it was real. He was still holding me together. He was still saving me from the world. He was still the summer sunshine in the middle of the winter and the warmth in my heart would always come from him. I shut my eyes and let the sun embrace me, taking me from this place of rain and darkness and back to his arms as I rested against the budding flowers in the memories our forever sunshine.

* * *

><p>She was near me, I could feel her. So close to the place I once called my home. I looked up at the warm, white house and saw an old woman I recognized only in memory. She smiled at me from the porch, waving with a glass of iced tea like a woman that I once knew did when I came back here. I frowned and saw the meadow in my mind, the goddess smiling below me again, begging me to come to her. I could taste the rain on her skin: did that mean she was real, that she was here waiting for me?<p>

I followed the fresh trail of her blood that sent my throat flaming, but I had no desire to sink my teeth into her alabaster skin. She was crying, sobbing. Why was my angel crying? I shut my eyes and I could see her lying between my arms, looking at me with so much trust, but never tears. I frowned, following the scent of spice to a boneyard, filled with people from the time of my death. This was the meadow, the beautiful place from my mind, but it was cut in half and blackened by death. Her warmth lingered across the stones, giving them life and purpose when she walked through here.

"_I miss you_," the voice in my mind was black like the ground around me, not yellow and golden like the vision of the sunshine. The sweet sunshine…

I opened my eyes and stared wildly around me. "I'm here, I'll find you." I swore I would. I started looking toward the forest as the rain nipped at my flesh.

"Please," I froze at the sound of a sweet voice, a sweet voice that wasn't in my mind. My head spun toward the sound and I saw a woman standing before a gravestone, sobbing. "Come back to me," she whimpered toward the cold rock like it would speak back to her.

The stone looked older than I was, how could she feel sadness for someone that wasn't close to her in life? I watched the unnatural wind swaying through the trees when she shut her eyes and felt my soul being pulled to her, telling me to take this tormented woman into my arms. I could taste her sadness; feel her fear in chest like it was my own and I knew what loss was. Her scent drove me mad, like the sweetest flower begging to be picked, and with it I could feel her in my mind, feel her begging me to come back to life as I lied bleeding on a white dress. These memories couldn't have been my own: I died in a hospital beside my mother, not in a home in this woman's arms.

She sank into the ground, sagging as another wave of her tremendous anguish racked us both. I fell from the tree because of the need to grab my heart and rip it out of my chest so I didn't have to feel this anymore. I stumbled, wincing through the pain – pain. I hadn't felt pain in almost a hundred years. It was so foreign to me, so new. My mind didn't listen to reason as I wrapped my arms around her trembling waist that was colder than me. She was so cold, so broken and I could feel everything she felt like the pain and sorrows were my own. "Edward," she whispered, touching the stone again like she couldn't feel me wrapped around her.

She knew my name? She knew me…then this was. My eyes widened at the words on the tombstone and I felt my own heart crack and wither more than it already had.

Edward Anthony Masen

Beloved Husband, Dear Friend, Lost Brother.

1900 – 1918

Beloved…_husband_? No, that couldn't be, and even if it was the woman I wed in my mortality she would be dead beside me in this earth. I turned the girl in my arms so her back was to the grave and her chest pressed against mine. I gasped to myself when I saw her beautiful face stained in tears and dirt from the gravesite. I knew her warmth, I knew her face. Her brown hair was drenched in the rain, wrapping around her face unnaturally. Her eyes were filled with salt and water as she mourned, repeating 'he's gone' over and over again. She was so lost between this world and the next that she didn't even feel my touch to her ice cold cheek. She didn't know I was here with her, and not lying in the ground underneath us. I begged of the sobbing woman as she clutched my shirt and whimpered my name, I begged for answers from her pink lips because I didn't remember the brown eyes that stared up at me with so much sadness. "Who are you?"

**A/N: **

**Hot damn :) Found myself crying, hating myself, and then finally satisfied with this chapter's ending. I'll update soon, I promise :D I'm willing myself to finish this one before I work on any of my other Twilight fics. I think there's about…10 more chapters to this.**

**Review :P**

**-Panda**


	33. Golden Eyes

**Hey everyone!**

**I know it's been over 2 years since an update, but…I've recently gained my passion back. **

**Hope you enjoy. **

**Chapter Thirty-two **

**Golden Eyes **

"I'm no one," my voice was so cold I almost didn't recognize it myself. "Nothing…" I was nothing just like he was nothing but a gravestone beside our favorite tree.

That scent…my eyes closed and I pressed my nose against his ice cold skin: honey and the sunshine of a summer morning. Who…? I stared up into golden eyes and found myself lost inside of them; lost in a place where I saw every day of our lives pass.

His smile, his kisses, his touch…and this meadow. I saw him smiling down at me as we made love for the first time and the last kiss we shared before I was thrown back into my time.

The man above me narrowed his eyes when I pressed my hand against his cheek. His own chilled fingers ran across my hips so softly, I hardly felt them. We held each other like old lovers in this summer rain…and I knew who he was. I felt the spot over his heart with curious fingers and electricity raced through me like it did every time I was with Edward. My dreams all of those nights in the past came over me. Carlisle…and Edward as someone like him. His hair was red like fire, his eyes golden like Carlisle's.

"What's your name?" he shouted over the deafening thunder above us. "Please, I must know your name!"

He begged it of me. I sat there gaping at him, shock and wonder replacing fear and desperation. Could this be my Edward? So changed…with so much time passed?

"Bella," I whispered, staring at this creature in awe as he frowned down at me and shielded me from the downpour. His chest felt as hard as stone as he held me against him, off of the muddy ground and away from the cold gravestone my love rested under.

How in the world did he find me in this place, out in the middle of the forest in Chicago's forgotten forests? My hands ran down his face, tracing every line that was so much the same as in my memories. This couldn't possibly be the boy that held me in his arms, that carried me over the threshold of our home on our wedding night…could it?

"Bella," he savored the name, a lopsided smirk across his pale lips. My eyes widened.

"Miss Bella what ever are you doing out here in the rain?" I smiled up at him, feeling the old-timed nature of his words warm my heart. He'dcalled me Miss Bella the night he saved me from the Juke Joint, the night he said he cared about me when no in else in the world did.

The sun began to shine through the clouds around us, and the rain let up its relenting downpour, returning the hope and strength that I once knew.

"I'm lost…" I admitted, staring into his confused eyes. I pressed my head against his chest, holding back the tears in my eyes. My ears were met with silence…because there wasn't a heart beating there anymore. The rhythm that lulled me to sleep for so many nights wasn't here – anymore.

This burning marvel won over the fear of what I _knew_ he was and my fingers grazed his smooth chest. I felt rippling muscles below his soaked shirt, saw the strength in the arms that held me tight. Our eyes met and I felt my knees go weak. He was beautiful…in a different way than he had been a hundred years ago. But there was something foreign in those eyes. Something that didn't belong there.

He didn't remember me.

I sank back to the ground with all of my hope lost, away from the man I used to know. There was no hope. My heart thudded unevenly, seeing darkness in the future.

But he was _alive_. He was _still_ here…with me_. That will have to be good enough. _I lied to myself, though I felt my heart break all over again. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders, his arms following shortly after. Could he feel the need to be close to me, too? Why else would he be so kind to a strange woman in the middle of a graveyard? I rested my head on his shoulder, avoiding his eyes, and stared at the tombstone put there for posterity's sake.

He kneeled beside me in the soggy grass and ran his hands up and down my arms, creating fire with each touch. "Please, let me accompany you to your home, Miss. It's not safe out here – you could catch cold."

I couldn't leave this place. This meadow that had been the center of our love, the center of our entire world together, and now it was _withered_ and forgotten. Just like I was.

"I'm not exactly from town," I sighed, still avoiding his gaze. He hadn't remembered this place…so why was he here? He couldn't remember the love that once radiated from the very ground we sat upon. "I can't leave." I whispered to myself, digging my nails into the earth, willing myself back to 1918…back to that morning when Alice came to tell us his father was sick. I could save him. We could have survived the sickness if we'd known when it was going to happen. Tears pooled in my eyes again and I bit my lip, cursing the Gods that brought me back to this time and begging them to send me back.

He sat silently beside me, never wavering. I must have looked like a crazy person. It was almost laughable. My chest seized below my breast and I clutched my thin shirt uselessly, willing the emotion to leave me. The pain didn't stop, the ache of guilt and loss still clung to me tightly, even though I had found him. He was ok. He would be okay.

"Miss, please…I can't leave you out here in the rain."

"Why the hell do you even care?" I snapped, pushing his arms off. He couldn't even remember me, and he was here trying to take care of me? I faced him and tried to keep the quiver from my voice. "You don't know me, you don't know my pain! I don't need your help!" I yelled, poking his chest until he glared at me, too. Fear born of the murder in his eyes beat down my foolishness and I looked at the brown grass. I shook my head and turned back to the gravestone.

"Sorry," I apologized lamely. "_Please_, just go…just let me die here with him, like I should have." I whispered the last part, knowing he would hear it anyway. I didn't care. He wouldn't remember the girl he was with before he became the God he was now. I was a part of a life he would never have again. We weren't meant to be with each other in this time.

I pressed my fingers to the hardness across my abdomen, nostalgia filling me, but it was so empty. _That's right…she's not there either._ Edward scooped me up into his arms the moment I told him. He was so happy that we were going to start a family, even if sickness was spreading through the world. And so was I. I closed my eyes tight, feeling warmth there, threatening to fall again.

_I_ was so empty without him.

Would this be life my now? Resolve settled deep within me, and I breathed deep through my nose. I could force myself through this. I had to. I begged Carlisle to save his life, and he did. Edward had a second chance at happiness with the life he led now, and that brought light back into my heart. I would move on in this life, continue on even if it meant being alone, for the boy I fell in love with.

I jumped, feeling his chest against my back and soft breath on my shoulder. He will be the most dangerous monster, Bella. Carlisle's wisdom filled my thoughts. How was he able to be so close to me now, without feeling the desire to rip me open and drink me dry? "How did you know the person resting here?" His voice broke the chaos in my mind, and I smiled at the fake gravestone.

"Here," I pointed to the ground, "is where the man I love lies. He stood beside me through everything and I never imagined I would lose him so soon. I begged someone, what seems like so long ago, to do whatever he could to save him, and…" I trailed off and shrugged my shoulders as I curled into the man who held me close now. His hands curled around my middle, teasing my waist. "Here he is. And here I am. I should have died beside him that night. I should have stayed with him until we both stopped breathing. I loved him…so deeply. I couldn't even begin to tell you," I laughed, basking the feeling of Edward's love that lived on in me.

I stared at the sky, resting my head on his shoulder, momentarily at peace. "I was taken away from him. I would do anything to feel him love me again." I looked up into his cold eyes, hoping to see a flash of memory there, but they weren't the same they had been a few moments ago. I could feel him tense behind me. He wasn't breathing anymore.

"Are you okay?" I asked, turning in his grasp. My hand rested on his chest, and finally, his gaze met mine.

"I don't remember," he spoke so softly I hardly heard him. His eyes were wild, like fire consuming a hundred year old wood. They softened when they met mine, but an ancient sadness lurked deep within his spirit.

"I've remembered this place for many years," he went on, though I doubted he was talking to me anymore. He turned and faced the gargantuan cherry tree we used to play music under. "I remember a voice, a voice belonging to the most beautiful woman. She is always in my mind, as if imprisoned there for eternity. Her voice is the like summer, her kiss like the spring wind upon my cheek. I remember not who she was to me, but that she was the most important thing in my entire life. She still haunts me now."

He turned to face me, eyes narrow but warm again. "She smelled like cherry blossoms and jasmine," he cupped my cheek and stepped closer to me. So close I could smell mint and citrus radiating from his pale skin. This Edward was so much the same as he was before that night, and so different. "I can still smell her skin in my memory. She smelled so much like you do now."

I smiled and stood beside him, facing the tree with my arms crossed. He remembered part of me, the part that his vampire self must have smelled in the house the night he was changed. "This tree has been here for hundreds of years," I explained, avoiding his indirect question. "There were two lovers, forbidden from one another by _his_ family. When the world would prove to be too much, and they needed to be together, they would come here. They shared their first kiss below this tree. They made music, danced, even slept out here some nights. They fell in love here, among the summer wild flowers. He would whisper sweet words in her ear, and she would scoff and tell him he was being a sap, even though she loved hearing those words, lived to hear them even."

My eyes met his again, and I was the one to step closer to the vampire in front of me. I felt no fear, staring into his golden eyes. "They were married at the base of this tree, only months after falling deeply and irrevocably in love with each other. She had never felt so beautiful, and he swore he fell even more in love with her as he watched her walk down the makeshift isle. She fell even more in love with him as he carried her over the threshold of their home, into the rest of forever."

A darkness crept over my heart, and I tried to block out the pain from that night. I continued, sadness drenching my tone. "They weren't given as much time as she thought, though, and were soon separated by death and the decay of time." The trees rustled in the wind behind me, encouraging me. My voice was strong when I spoke again. My firm eyes met his.

"But her love for him will never die, not here. Not below these trees. Here," I touched the soft bark, letting my love radiate through it for one last time, "here they'll be together forever."

We were quiet for what felt like an age and I could feel my heart beating on sluggishly, filled with sorrow. He was behind me again, wrapping those strong arms cautiously around my waist. It felt like heaven smack in the middle of hell. I pressed back into him, selfishly remembering what he felt like so many years ago. How it felt to be held by the man I loved, even when he did not know he loved me, too. It was bittersweet, but I'd take every moment. My Edward was so close now but he couldn't have been further away. I wanted to feel his love again, I wanted to _be_ with him again.

_Please_, I prayed to the universe, hoping it would spare me of this pain one last time. _Please bring my Edward back to me. _

As if struck by lightning, Edward went rigid and still, his arms fell from my sides, and he dropped to his knees. His eyes were wide, pupils thin as pinpoints, and his mouth hung slack. I came to my knees beside him, unsure of what to do, and placed my hands roughly on his shoulders. "Edward! What's happening? Don't you dare leave me again, please, say something! _Edward_!"

**(EPOV)**

For the first time in one hundred years, I felt warmth radiating through my soul, bringing me such harmony. Peace of a kind I hadn't felt since my years of humanity. A humanity that I could, at last, remember. My eyes widened and I lost control of my body as a fierce force thrust me into a long forgotten mind, a mind that belonged in a simpler time.

I stood inside of this meadow, but it was sunset now. The pink and blue sky painted my memories, drawing a beautiful woman named Isabella Swan before me. She was smiling at me.

"_Of course I'll marry you_," she whispered, eyes so warm I felt my chest ache with longing. "_I love you so much, Edward."_

"_As I love you_," a voice that was not my own spoke, and I stared down at my hands – my human hands. Tanned and freckled, over worked from playing too much baseball and working with my father on a car in the summertime. My father. I could remember he smelled like pipe tobacco and whiskey, and his heart was nearly as great as my mother's was.

"_I give you my blessing to marry her_," his voice, like rough gravel, came to me and the memory of her faded, bringing me to a night I yearned to remember. We sat in his study, a place I knew well. I worked here upon this desk, filing out papers for his law firm as I grew into a young man. His eyes were wet with happiness, and he embraced me tightly. _"I want you to be happy, my son_."

"_Thank you, father. I love her more than my own life."_

My father who died from the same disease that tried to take me. I hadn't seen his face for eighty seven years. I could feel tears stain these human cheeks, so foreign but never more welcomed. I hadn't shed a tear since the night Carlisle created me. That night marked my new life, a life I never wanted.

My mother's smile was the next to appear, beautiful and wise. Her green eyes – the same eyes I bore in my life – were forever etched in my memory. "_I know you will do the right thing, Edward. You're so in love with her, it makes my heart ache for the love your father and I have together. You'll see_," she assured, pressing a kiss to my forehead, "_in time you'll see_." We were in a backyard with many women in dresses and sunhats, each of them more lovely than the last.

But none compared to the woman that caught my eye. She was the center of my human memory. Her hair was long waves of chocolate, her skin the paleness that struck the moon, and her eyes were so deep I felt like I was spiraling into madness staring at them. She was more beautiful than the waking world around us. She smiled and I felt like the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders.

"_Edward."_ Her sweet voice rang like bells, each tone waking something new inside of me.

"_My Bella_."

I spoke her name and every memory of my life with her flooded into my mind, each one leaving me more breathless than one before it.eve . her skin the paleness that struck the moon, and her eyes were so deep I felt like I was sp It was like I was staring down into a pool of another life, the visions blurred by water and smoke instead of sunshine and purple skies, until at last light shone through the darkness.

We were on the front porch of my home, lit dimly by the low lights from the inside. She was blushing up at me, holding a copy of Romeo and Juliet. It was one of her favorites. _"...thank you for the book_." Lips grazed my cheek and I felt my body catch fire, the very memory of the first time her lips touched my skin drove me insane with emotions that I hadn't felt since I died. Love, lust, desire, longing, freedom…_peace._

I sat beside her bed, holding her hand in the dark like a shy boy would his first crush, now. It was the first night she stayed in our home. "_Edward please don't go," _she whispered, clutching my hand. I stayed beside her that night, and then every night afterward. Her soft voice would call me in sleep, and I couldn't stay away. This night was the first night she stayed in my home. My brother…_Emmett_ and I nearly ran her over.

I smiled, watching the blackness drag me to the forest, to the front door of a Juke Joint.

"_You don't care about me,"_ she scoffed, like she always did when her feelings got the best of her, crossing her arms as I carried here away from a loud bar in the woods. _"You don't get it, I've been hurt and tossed around like I'm nothing, so I figure I am nothing."_

_"I care about you,"_ my own voice promised, and I could feel it to be true. My heart, a thing that had been dead for nearly a hundred years, ached for her. _"You do matter, Bella. People care about you, people do stupid things like dancing with other girls at parties because they can't say no, but that doesn't mean that they don't care about you," _I hesitated. I was blushing though she couldn't see in the darkness_. "You matter to me." _

The water swirled around me, and I was tossed into a beautiful meadow where the sun was warm and stillness flooded through me. She sat at my side in the tall grass, smiling at the sun. Our eyes met and that smile turned shy.

_"I've been thinking about the next few weeks,"_ I admitted, feeling butterflies shoot through my middle. She scooted closer to me, resting her head on my chest, just above my heart. I breathed in her scent, tasting the jasmine tea and cherry trees around us.

_"I turn eighteen on the 20th, and my mother always has this incredibly large party in honor of it. There will be a lot of people, and drink I'm sure I'll have to keep you away from, but I was wondering if you'd be my date to it?"_ Shyness crept up my neck and stained my cheeks. Innocence shrouded the memory now in hazy water, and I felt nostalgia fill my chest.

I wanted to be with her.

"_I will go, but only if I'm the only girl you dance with_." Her smile was the last thing the memory gave me before going to a dimly lit back yard party.

_"And listen to the thunder,"_ she sang, holding an acoustic guitar in her hands beside Alice on a makeshift stage. She was so lovely. Her eyes met mine, and I felt happiness, such happiness as she sang to me, for me.

This was my eighteenth birthday celebration, the same day I decided I wanted to marry her, without ever speaking the words. My human-self wanted to stay beside her until the end of his days, living life to the fullest. He felt free with her. He felt like he could do anything.

"_You were amazing_," I cooed, holding her to me tight. _"So perfect,"_ I sighed, resting my head upon hers, feeling our heartbeats as one.

We were one soul, one heartbeat. _"I love you,"_ I whispered as the memory faded, leaving me in the blackness.

I loved her…even now I could feel her light entering my heart. She was life. My life. How did this happen? Disbelief raced through me. How was she taken from me? How were we torn apart so? I dove deeper into the mind of my human self, seeking the answer.

We were back in the meadow now, leaning against the cherry tree. Her head rested against my shoulder as we popped grapes into our mouths and laughed loudly. _"I thought that maybe, since we're going away in the fall, you'd want to marry me?" _

I'd never been so nervous in my 18 years. I smiled as incredulous joy filled her brown depths and she tackled me to the ground, kissing me with all of her passion. _"Yes,"_ she panted, staring deep into my eyes. _"I'll marry you, Edward."_

_"Be mine forever,"_ I prayed, cupping her cheek in my hand.

_"Forever." _

My stomach turned with disgust at the next flash of recollection. A man held her, pinned her to the ground in the forest. I snarled at him through the veil, venom searing my throat. He ripped her panties off and my human self finally came to help with a baseball bat. I beat the hell out of the human boy and rushed to her side. Her nose had been broken, and there was blood all over her front. I felt real fear for the first time in my life. A deep fear born from the possibility that I would lose her.

How I wished I had been what I am now then. She wouldn't have been hurt, and that boy would have been dead.

I was turned from my anger and brought to a fire burning in my stomach. Arousal. I opened my eyes to see brown ones staring down at me. She was above me, straddling my hips. My eyes rolled back in my head when she spoke, her voice sultry and sex_. "I've been trying to wake you for half an hour,"_ she purred, hands running down my chest, fueling the fire I felt in every nerve ending. I was hard for her, and wanting more each second she stayed above me.

_"Edward,"_ she sighed, smiling down at me.

_"My Bella,"_ I whispered back, grabbing for her as the memory faded into the murky water below.

We sat beside a lake, staring into the water. I thought of starting a family. Seeing children running around the water, playing with their beautiful mother as I watched, taking pictures to keep these memories with me for the rest of my life. Our life was beautiful, as I painted it in my mind. I shut my eyes, looking away from the sight of her below me, passion in her touch and love in her eyes. She loved me, so completely. My chest constricted.

This was not the memory I searched for. I turned back to the water as my human self gave way to passion, and hunted for the reason she was taken from me. I would kill whoever was responsible. But the next moment I found stopped me in my tracks. She wore a long white dress and walked toward me, so slowly, down an isle laden with rose petals. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire life. Tears pooled in my human eyes. This was our wedding day. The day we became one.

The ceremony was in the place where our love was the strongest. The meadow was filled with the people we loved, people that were lost to me now. My mother cried when the minister began the service, and my father held her tight. I turned to the beautiful woman in front of me and watched her brown eyes tear up.

_"I do."_ Her voice was the only one I could hear. She was the only thing I could see.

_"I will always love you, Bella."_ I swore, kissing her so deeply that I thought we would both be lost to this fire until the end of our days. I found the center of my being in one kiss. I was not the man I had spent so many years trying to get away from. I was Edward Masen. An outgoing, compassionate young man ready to face the world beside the woman he loved more than his very life.

I had been thrust into darkness when I was changed into a vampire, taking further away from her smile with each man I murdered, even if the reason behind my killing had been to do good. But seeing the man I was, the man I could be again had changed me forever. I would no longer wallow through this life. Bella was my reason for breathing. My reason for facing the world every day. She taught me how to love.

I faced my memory now not to find vengeance, but to find that freedom in my eyes, the peace in my mind, and the passion in my heart. Night had taken over our wedding day, and I lie in bed beside her. We had made love – _more than once –_ and I smiled to the moon in a daze. _"Thank you,"_ I whispered, hoping whatever had brought this girl in front of my car that fateful day could hear me.

The moon shone bright over the forest that night and I fell into an uncertain sleep, only to be awoken by Bella's frantic cry for help.

"_Bella!"_ I shouted, throwing my shoes on and bolting out of the back door. I ran through the dark, finding her in the middle of the forest with eyes as wide as saucers. Her pupils were dilated, her breathing uneven and hard. Her eyes darted around the meadow, searching with a deep fear that had never been there before.

"_Vampires_."

My body went cold, ice rushing through my veins. I turned from the memory, from what the boy I used to be was saying about nightmares. There were_ vampires_ in the forest outside of our home. Had they been searching for her? Had _other vampires_ taken her from me? My fists clenched.

I had to know.

I plunged back into the darkness surrounding me, until a familiar face I had not seen in any memory came to the light. The warm golden eyes of the man who had created me stared back through the veil.

_Carlisle?_

Carlisle had been there? He_ knew_ my Bella and me before I had been changed? Venom pooled in my mouth as I saw him holding her. Had she been in love with him? Did she leave me for my father? _No_, I reasoned, swallowing the metallic substance. Carlisle fell in love with Esme, not ten years after that. Once our kind had met its mate there was no other that could satisfy their soul. I was taken from that memory as my anger faded to the day afterward, and I was still confused. Why had Carlisle been in my life before I was a vampire?

I had been drinking in my memory, trying to figure out if Bella was going to leave me for the handsome doctor who embraced her. She smirked at me now from the front porch and placed my hands upon her stomach. My eyes widened and all of my fears faded away, replaced by desolation. _"You're going to be a daddy, Edward."_

_A family_. I fell to my knees in the darkness of my mind again, retreating from the bliss bursting through the human Edward. We were to have a family together? I was to be a father?

Sorrow that I had never known struck my breast. The love of my life had been taken from me…my family had been taken from me…and so had my unborn child. "What did we do to deserve this?" I shouted into the blackness. "Why was I taken from them?" My claws raked through my hair until it was almost painful. _How had this happened? It wasn't supposed to be this way!_

A light grew at the end of the darkness in this mind. I sat, staring at my hands. I did not want to continue on through these memories – this torture. I knew now why my mind had hid them so deeply that they could not be found again. The pain from seeing what was, what was supposed to be, crippled me. For the first time in this new life, I was able to shed tears. I wept for Bella. I wept for my mother, my father, my brother and sister taken from me too soon.

I wept for my unborn son or daughter. I wept for the life I was meant to have, and lost.

The light surround me now, showing me visions of my father's passing…and then my mother's. These were memories burned deep within, memories that I had lived for eighty years. The Spanish Influenza had spread through Chicago and it had only been a matter of time before_ I_ got sick, too. Bella felt my fever was we settled down for bed. The look in her eyes told me all I needed to know.

She knew I was going to die. She was crying, screaming for help from my sister Alice. Alice, who was like me now. Had Alice become sick too? Did she remember our past? We were at the last night of my life, and I still had no answer as to why Bella would leave me.

I stared into the murky water, willing the forces that brought us together to tell me why, why I had been taken from the only happiness in my life.

"_Call Carlisle. He can help. Hurry Alice!" _She screeched, fear real in her eyes. I faced the memory now, watching as my surrogate father came to my aide. They slipped me into a bath and Bella sat beside me, holding _my_ hand this time.

"_I'm going to do whatever it takes to bring you back to me and then I'm going to tell you everything_," she promised, piquing my curiosity. What was she going to tell me? "_I'm going to watch you get old, I'm going to die beside you in our meadow. I'm going to watch your eyes warm when this baby is born and smile when it grows up to be so much like you_."

_"I love you_," she cried, pressing her lips to my ear. "_I'll always be your Bella, Edward."_ It was like she was saying goodbye to me. I wished to comfort her, to swear that I would never leave her side…but I had.

"_How long has he been like this?"_ Carlisle asked, beginning to check my vitals.

_"Only 20 minutes, but it's felt like forever_," she chuckled bitterly. "_I won't leave his side. I'm staying. Nothing you can say will change my mind. His life belongs to me, and mine belongs to him._" she swore, glaring at the doctor.

"_Very well_," he sighed, defeat in his eyes. "_I see people from your time have a general knowledge of what to do when one has a fever. The ice bath is a good idea. Let me help you bring him to the tub." _People from…_her time_? What time? My eyes widened. Had Bella come to me from the future?

Intently, I searched the memory, looking for any confirmation to tell me I was right, but none came._ "I feel so weak,"_ I croaked, feeling my body and my mind begin to shut down. It was like reliving death, with a mind that would never stop. _"I love you, Bella_." If those were my last words, my heart knew them to be true and I bore no regret.

_"Don't you dare say goodbye to me, Edward Masen_," she scolded, "_I've told you I will not allow you to die." _

"_He can't hold his head up_," Carlisle sighed, moving to help Bella, but she wouldn't have it. She slid into the cool water beside me, holding me to her heart. I could feel her soul trying to connect with mine, her warmth entering my very core. It was a warmth I still felt to this day when I remembered the woman from the meadow.

Carlisle and Alice left to give us privacy, and I felt my heart begin to wither away. "_Beautiful girl_," I coughed, kissing whatever part of her skin I could reach. "_I love you_."

"_I'll always love you, Edward_." she promised as she began to shake.

My eyes closed, but my mind was still conscious. I could hear her call Carlisle, but she sounded far away, like she was at the end of a tunnel. _"I want you to do everything in your power to save him."_

_"You know not of what you ask!"_ he yelled, angry for the first time since I had known the man.

_"I know you are immune,"_ she whispered, _"I know whatever you are, vampire, immortal, whatever, can save him!"_

_"I will not take his life unless there is another choice!"_

_"He is going to die, Carlisle! There is no other choice! What am I to do without a husband? I am to have a child in five months, it's not like I can simply get a job in this time! I need him, Carlisle, our child needs him as a vampire or as a human. I don't care which." _

My eyes widened, freezing the memory. The water swirled around me, no longer cold. It felt warm…filled with serenity. She did not care if I was human or this...this monster? But why? How?

_"I want him to see his child's eyes open for the first time, to see its first steps! I want him to hear its first words and I want to come home to his arms every day and love him as I love him now. You are a kind, gentle man, Carlisle. There is no reason Edward could not be the same!" _She reasoned, begging him to save me.

It had been Bella's words that fueled Carlisle's actions. Bella had saved me from death. I had been so wrong for so many years. I sunk to my knees, watching the scene unfold. Her view on what we were, what I was...was incredible. Had she been beside me all of those years ago I wouldn't have killed. Had she been beside me, I would not have lived one hundred years of loneliness, searching for someone who would never come.

_"I will only ever ask this one thing of you Carlisle,"_ she continue, eyes wet with tears. _"Please don't let him leave me."_

My heart pounded in my chest, sorrow and pain covering the cloud of the veil. _"I will do everything in my power to save Edward. I'll do it for the first friend I've hand in two hundred years,"_ he promised, holding her close to him. She was his first daughter. I could see the love her held for her in his eyes, and it warmed my soul. _"I only ask that you understand when he is changed he will not be able to be alone with you for years without much difficulty. We will move, face hardships, and your life and that of the child's will be in danger around him. Our kind are very unstable, especially in the first months of this life and it will be hard-"_

_"I don't care,"_ she interrupted. _"It doesn't matter, we can overcome anything."_ I knew she was right. Had she been there when I had awoken to this life I would have lived every day of these eighty seven years in peace, beside the woman of my heart.

But as Carlisle went to take me from her arms, light surrounded her. I blinked, feeling fire spread through my veins, eating away the disease and taking my humanity. I was beginning to change – and her life began to fade.

She was gone.

"Edward!" a woman shouting outside of the water broke through the pain of losing her all over again. I remembered everything now. How I had been changed, how we had moved from Chicago to Rochester, and how I had struggled so deeply with the beast inside of my heart.

"_Please, Edward! I can't lose you again!" _I heard those words before…long ago. A light flooded through the darkness. It was so _warm_. Could this be…?

"Bella?" I whispered, looking up to the light. It was a reflection back into the world, back into Chicago. I could see tears in her eyes and deep purple circles underneath them. I was unconscious in our meadow and she had been trying to wake me just as she had the night I died. Had that been how I could see all of my memories? Being connected with her again? Even now, I could feel her light extinguishing the darkness in my soul. Peace, and so much love, a love I had forgotten for far too long brought me back to the surface a new man.

I gasped, looking up at her beautiful brown eyes, filled with fear, and came to my senses again. I could smell her silken skin, feel her warmth settling inside of me. "Bella," I choked, cupping her cheeks in my hands. She sat there, bewildered and slack jawed. "My Bella!" I shouted, taking her into my arms. I couldn't hold back any longer. I refused to.

"What are you doing?" She asked, clutching me tightly as I spun her around. I hadn't been this happy in one hundred years. I hadn't felt hope since I came to this life, and she had given it back to me.

"My Bella," I sighed at last, placing her on her feet again. She was still just as beautiful as she had been the summer I found myself in her. "How I have missed you."

Her eyes widened, and she steadied herself in my embrace. "E-Edward?"

I stared into her wide eyes, never losing contact as I captured her lips, tasting her for what felt like the first time. She responded eagerly, winding her hands into my hair. I could smell tears in her eyes, and felt them in mine. My tongue swiped across her lips, begging for entrance which she granted without hesitation. Venom pooled in my throat. Arousal filled my senses. I broke the kiss gently, pressing a third then a fourth to her soft lips before I looked down into her calm eyes.

There was still so much she had explain. How has she lived in 1918, and looked the same eighty years later? She should have been old, upon the bed of her death by now. Had she really been from the future?

It didn't matter…all that matter now was that she was with me. I would never let her go again.

"My Bella," I whispered, pressing my forehead to hers. She stilled, tears spilling from her eyes as I spoke so softly, she knew the words were only for her. "I remember everything."

**A/N - So I thought I was going to be taking a hiatus on this…when the strangest thing happened this Wednesday. The curtain lifted over my writer's block. Ideas came to me, flooding in in waves and I couldn't ignore them. **

**I hope you guys enjoyed it, but I can't say that updates will be regular. I am working toward finishing this though, as my passion for it has been reignited. **

**Your reviews are word porn and appreciated!**

**-PandaGoddess**


	34. Toes Preview

**Hey amigos! I know, what the hell, I've posted again! It's just a preview though, just something to let you know I'm still alive and I'm not giving up on this story again.**

**This chapter will be titled "Toes"**

**Enjoy!**

He leaned in and pressed his forehead to mine, twining our fingers together on his chest. The moment was intimate, like our hearts were finding each other again. I felt tears roll down my cheeks. He spoke softly against my lips, taking away the pain so deep inside of me. "I remember the first kiss you gave me when I gave you a first edition of Romeo and Juliet," he finally kissed me softly and I felt all of his love pour into it, showing me an affection I dearly missed. I responded eagerly, letting myself go at last. My hands ran through his hair, tugging at all the right spots, his tongue teased my bottom lip, and I felt the ghost of a hand grip my hips before he pulled away, always leaving me wanting more.

"The moment that you kissed me, all of those years ago, was the moment I decided that I loved you." My eyes widened. Edward had never told me that. "I remember our wedding night," he pulled me closer now, wrapping his arms around my waist. "I remember how beautiful you looked walking down the aisle. I've been able to feel the warmth from your skin for one hundred years, but I had no idea that it was you."

"I missed you," I breathed, burying my face in his shirt. He wrapped his strong arms around me tight, putting all of the broken bits back into their places. I felt so whole, like I had never been taken from him...from my _home._

"I've missed you every day, my love," he swore, resting his head against mine. "But you're still avoiding my question," he reminded me. He let me go and curiosity burned inside of his golden depths.

"_How are you alive, Bella_?"

I took a deep breath and hoped he'd go for the only response I could think of. "Let me show you."

**...AND that's all you get! Lollll! I'm gonna be posting this chapter soon, and I'm loving the way it's turning out! Can't wait for you guys to read it!**

**Until next time!**

Psychedelic Panda


	35. Toes in the Water

**A/N: before I start this, I want to thank all of the people who followed, favorited, and reviewed the last chapter. I appreciate your continued support! You guys are awesome. **

**A note about my wordpress: it's changed to Psychedelic Panda Goddess as well. You can find me there, as well as the newest chapters for this story and any other stories I decide to work on.**

**Well in this chapter we get a little angsty, but I think you'll enjoy it. **

**Chapter 33**

**Toes in the Water**

"How are you," he clutched me tighter and I gasped at the feeling of his whole body against mine, lighting a fire that had been gone for _too_ long. He was still so the same. He had the same crazy reddish brown hair, the same crooked smile, the same plump lips. My hands clutched his shirt tight, and I shamelessly let myself mold to his body. He still smelled like the summer…

"How are you even _alive_, my Bella?"

I grinned into his chest now, letting my mind come back from a hundred years ago in this very meadow. That would've been my first question. I stared up at him and put my hand on his cheek, trying not to be surprised by how cold he was. My Edward used to be so warm, but now he felt just as Carlisle had, all of those years ago.

I didn't know what to tell him.

_Yeah Edward I traveled 87 years back in time to meet you…No biggie._

My voice was small. "You remember me?" I wondered, biting my lip.

He leaned in and pressed his forehead to mine, twining our fingers together on his chest. My heart thumped unevenly. The moment was intimate. Our hearts were finding each other again after being lost through time. I felt tears roll down my cheeks. He spoke softly against my lips, taking away the pain seated so deep inside of me with each word. "I remember the first kiss you gave me when I gave you that first edition of Romeo and Juliet on my parent's porch," he finally pressed those lips to mine and I felt…_love,_ a love so deep and melodious, pour into it, showing me a tenderness I had _deeply_ missed.

I responded to him eagerly, letting myself go. My hands ran through his hair, tugging at all the right spots, the spots I knew drove him mad. His tongue teased my bottom lip, and I felt the ghost of a hand grip my hips, nails digging into my skin. Our tongues twined together, battling vainly. He tasted so good, so _different_. But before I could lose myself in _my_ Edward, he pulled away, always leaving me wanting more.

His hands rested on my cheeks so gently, like he was trying not to break me. "The moment that you kissed me, all of those years ago, was the moment I decided that I loved you more than anything in this word."

My eyes widened. Edward had never told me that. Not even in our most private moments.

"I remember our wedding night," he pulled me closer now, wrapping his arms around my waist. My breath caught in my throat and I blushed. "I remember how beautiful you looked walking down the aisle in our meadow. I've been able to feel the warmth of your skin for one hundred years in this darkness, but I had no idea that it was you."

Tears stung my eyes. "I missed you," I puffed, burying my face in his shirt. He wrapped his strong arms around me tight, putting all of the broken bits back into their places. I felt so whole, like I had never been taken from him. Like we had never been torn apart by time. I could smell the summer cherry blossoms…the same ones from 1918.

"I've missed you every day my love," he swore, resting his head against mine. "But you're still avoiding my question," he reminded me gingerly. He let me go and curiosity burned inside of his golden depths. Our hands hung between us, my eyes downcast as his probed for the truth. "_How are you alive, Bella_?"

I took a deep breath and hoped he'd go for the only response I could think of. "Let me show you."

We walked through the forest for what felt like hours and I felt nostalgia pull at my heart. Our hands swung between us lazily, the summer sun casting a shadow on the grass at our feet. This was a forest that I knew well. We walked through these very trees hundreds of times in a life that felt remote to me now, almost like a dream inside of a memory. The forest felt light as the sun began to shine through the clouds, like there was no evil or darkness beyond the overgrowth around us. I looked to the man walking beside me and saw a smile on his lips, but sadness in his eyes. How could my Edward have changed so much? What happened in this life to make him so quiet, so…jaded?

Our hands had never parted, and I felt the eternal spark between us raging. But as we rounded a bend into a small meadow beside a manmade lake, my pace slowed and my heart trudged on painfully. I could feel every beat in my chest. This place was too heartbreaking to think about. It had been the center of my universe…the center of what we had together. I ran from here the last time I had been, not even taking the time to see what had changed so.

He could feel my sadness, just like before, and pulled me closer. Our shoulders grazed with each step. I gripped his cold hand tighter, biting my lip. I stopped walking and stared up ahead. "What is it?" he asked, speaking for the first time since we crossed the street from our meadow and dove into these woods.

"We're close, now."

I could smell the honeysuckle and roses. There were so many more wildflowers upon the beaten path than I remembered. It was…wild. And beautiful. I smiled softly at the memory of him carrying me down this very path, my wedding dress trailing behind us in the dirt. When I looked up at Edward, I saw his eyes had widened. Did he remember this path now? His gaze fell on me, wide and confused. We stared up at the broken down, spent home…and I felt my heart break all over again.

We stood at the mouth of the trail that led to his mother's house. We stood before our home…broken and wasted away. Where we had grown together here…_loved_ together. "It's gone," he whispered, swallowing back his emotion. I saw unshed tears in his eyes. "What…What happened to this place?" He growled, almost sounding like the vampire I knew he was behind the human face he put on for the world.

I stared at the long grass beside the porch and broke away from him without word. My hands ran down the cracked, rotten banister, my feet rested upon the squeaking floor boards and I breathed in the old oak and pine. "Time did this. It changes all things in this world…even things born of a love that travels across time, like ours." I sighed, staring to his golden eyes with a forlorn smile.

Edward had come to stand beside me, a movement my eyes hadn't seen, and a hand reached out cautiously to pull me to safety should the house come crashing down around us. My heart warmed when our bodies touched, clothed chest meeting my back and cool hands grazing my stomach. I leaned into him and felt moisture collect in my eyes. Sorrow filled me, but I gathered my courage and opened the front door as wide as it would go.

"What I want to show you is inside."

We made our way into the house and I ignored the dull ache that came over me the same way that it had last time I came here. Everything was destroyed. Graffiti coated the walls, black gang symbols and tattoo designs now stained my memories. All of the windows were broken, letting in the humid summer air. The house creaked and moaned like it was in pain. I doubted that it wasn't.

When I went for the stairs he stopped me and held out his hand. Always such a gentleman. A fond smile surfaced between us. "Please, it's not safe," he reasoned, and I thought that if he had been human he would've been blushing. Edward scooped me up into his arms and made his way slowly up the stairs. I chuckled, resting my head on his chest.

"This reminds me of the first night we spent here." Memories went to his hands roaming my body, his long length hanging heavy between his legs as he stared at me, wearing nothing but white garters on my legs. I bit my lip as arousal dripped between my thighs. This was the wrong time, wrong place to be thinking about the night we made love like animals in this house. I missed more than just his soul when he had been taken away from me, that much was obvious. I missed his touch, his kiss…the love we shared that was so pure I knew that even if he had changed into a vampire, it would remain the same. I hoped it had.

I gulped and felt the heat gathered in my stomach spread to the rest of my body, widening my pupils and quickening my breath. I _missed_ this home. I missed the nights we made love under the moon. I missed the man holding me in his arms.

I had him back. But we were so far apart.

My voice turned sultry, and filled with lust. "Do you remember…the first time we made love?" I asked, almost to myself, as he let me go at the top of the stairs. My hand ran across the ageless walls and remorse filled my heart. "Back then, I was so glad it wasn't gentle, so _fucking_ glad that you took me hard like I dreamed of on so many nights," I was near panting as_ those _memories rushed me. They were something I would leave for another day, _another night_.

"But when I lost you," I started, feeling my lust cool and my heart throb slowly. "I remembered all of the nights you held me in your arms. The nights I fell asleep listening to your heart beating. The nights you kissed every inch of my body and then some. The nights we fell asleep kissing. The nights we made love. The nights that weren't rough: the nights that we shared souls together here. It kills me to see our home like this."

Edward was beside me now, his head against mine and I saw moisture in his golden eyes. I turned to face him and lips touched my neck, softly going from behind my ear to my collar bone. His hands laced through mine, his voice low. "We were so in love," I felt him smile against my skin. "I wanted for nothing in life, as long as I had you in my arms when I got home. I can feel _everything,_ the fire you sparked in me – so clearly – for what feels like the first time."

He stepped back and swallowed thickly, like he was trying to get a grip on himself. Was he trying to control the vampire within? I stopped breathing, and immediately felt silly. This was _Edward_. Not some killer in the woods…like the vampires from my nightmares.

"Just give me a moment," he ground out, voice destroyed and weak. I nodded, seeing the severity in his eyes. When the waves of desire inside me calmed, I took a deep breath and went to the last room at the end of the hall. Edward trailed behind me slowly.

I gazed at the walls around me. _Our bedroom_. Everything was the same as it had been before. Our bed faced the south wall, the window, broken however it was, faced the moon that was beginning to show itself in the sky. I could see broken picture frames on the ground, the art long since stolen from the walls. Edward inhaled slowly behind me and I saw his eyes filled with ancient grief, a sorrow even deeper than mine. That was when a thousand things started to click in my head, and I was left breathless.

Before me stood a man as old as the feelings in my heart…and he had been alone for the entirety of his new life. I felt a shot ice run through my veins._ I only had to live a week without him…but it's been _eighty sevenyears_ for Edward. He's so different…because I've been missing all of these years. _

He was born into something he had never asked for. He didn't even get an explanation as to why he was what he was. _What went so wrong_? _Did Carlisle purposefully keep me out of Edward's memories_? I tried to quell my fury at the thought.

I needed to give him answers. He had to know that I had always wanted to be there with him. That I didn't abandon him when he changed. I would have stayed beside him through time and death…if I hadn't been brought back to the present. I went to the dresser and pulled the antique journal from its depths; this was what Edward needed to see now. I blew the dust off and held it to my chest lovingly. This book got me through the good and the bad times in the past. I appreciated it more than he would ever know. It held _all_ of my secrets, now.

"Do you remember this?" I asked, handing it to him gently. His eyes seemed to widen, the gold turning to fire as he stared upon the cover forlornly. His long fingers grazed the cover, almost reverently.

"Of course I do," he sighed at last. He pressed the book to his own chest and smiled at me, more handsome than he had ever been with a look of such passion in those eyes. My knees went weak and I had to gather my jaw off of the floor.

Blushing, I turned away from the room._ Control yourself. Control yourself. _I chanted over and over, trying to get a grip as he stared at the old pages sentimentally.

"We bought this that day in the fabric store. You wrote in it near every night. How could I…" He trailed off as he opened it and skimmed the first entry. "How could I ever forget?"

"You need to read that," I pushed, hoping he would accept everything he found in it. "It will explain everything – about me."

We left the house cautiously, with him shadowing me like an overly paranoid mother, and went to sit by the lake. I leaned against his shoulder as he clutched the old book in his hands, tenderly flipping through the decaying pages. It had been very well persevered for being nearly a hundred years old. My heart was racing below my breast. I hoped that the truth from this book wouldn't drive him away as I had feared it would all of those years ago.

"I should have shared this with you back then," I sighed, staring at the water that lapped at my toes. He stopped reading and looked down at me curiously. "I should have told you who I was, been honest with you. You're everything to me…and you deserve the truth."

He laughed and pressed a soft kiss to my temple. Fire echoed from the spot his lips touched, warming my very soul. He leaned into me, his cheek atop my head as my eyes fogged over. "If you had, I would have thought you mad all of those years ago. Now that I'm_ changed_," he struggled to say the word _vampire_ and it didn't go past my notice, "I can appreciate your honesty."

We sat beside the water until the sun cast purple and blue hazy shadows across the water. The clouds had spread out over the sky now, leaving us safe in the shade of an old pine. My hands traced the muscles in his arms, the softness in his hands. His eyes distractedly left the page and found mine often, and when they had I would brush my lips against his hand, his arm, the spot below his ear, letting myself get lost in the new feel of his skin against mine. Cold, but so warm. Slow burning fire that never stopped raging in my center.

But as I kept on staring at the man turned God, my thoughts began to wander further from what he was and ventured to who he was. My Edward was beside me again, but…I didn't _know_ him anymore. Was he the same man I fell in love with?

_Of course he is, stupid. So what if he's gotten a bit paler…and immortal. He's still Edward. That's all that matters. _

I wondered, as I stared at his pale skin, what happened to him in the sun? Did he burn? No, that was stupid. Carlisle had met me in the sun before…but what had he told me about vampires in the sun? I cursed my memory and went to move his hand the two inches that it would take to get it into the sun.

But Edward shifted, letting the book fall to his lap, chucking under his breath. His hand met my cheek, grabbing my attention away from my curious administrations. "_Grandma_ Marie?"

"About her," I laughed, hiding my face in my hands. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, waiting for me to explain. "She explained to me that most of the women in my family, on my father's side, had the ability to make the jump through time. She said that when love was meant to be, we would go back and stay in the time we landed in, should we find the love we're looking for. Marie was an astounding woman, and she really was my grandmother, just my _great_ grandmother. She went back to the eighteen hundreds from the 60's to find my grandfather. I guess…she was sentimental to my cause."

"I'd say so," he chuckled with me, pressing his lips to my shoulder before grabbing the book again, his eyes light as he continued to read all of my secrets. "How I longed to be inside of your mind back then," he confessed.

"I can't see why."

He smiled at me, letting our hands twine together. My heart raced. "Because you were everything to me. You still are," he promised. I bit my lip, feeling his hand run down my cheek, resting above my breast. "Bella, I missed you so. This book…how I wish I had read it all those years ago. I would have understood everything. I really messed up quite a bit, didn't I?" He chuckled, staring toward the remaining pages. I guessed he read over the costume party, the night we both got so drunk, overly sentimental, and nearly lost each other.

"We both did," I assured, curling into his side again. The arm draped around me never moved from there, but he did not reach for the book.

I stared up into his conflicted eyes, analyzing everything I had just told him. "I suppose then," he began, staring away from me with hurt in his golden depths. "That you did not find the love you searched for in my time."

My heart began to beat unevenly and I bit my chapped lips. I had thought about it on more than one night spent alone back in 2005. But I knew it wasn't true. "I believe that my purpose was fulfilled when I came back. I had found my love, my purpose, my reason for wanting to continue on living. You are that reason, Edward. I came back here," I sighed, staring down at my hands. "I believe I came back because should I have stayed I would have gotten sick…and died." His eyes widened as I said this, and I knew he was feeling the same pain of losing me as I had this past week.

"One week without you…and I was going crazy. I can't imagine eighty years," I whispered, feeling tears in my eyes. He stared down at me, his brown creased. He pressed his forehead to mine.

"If you believe you came back to this time, a feat that I have to say is _staggering_, so that we can be together now, then so do I. But you will never be without me, again. And I will never leave you. These past years have been _bearable_, for I did not remember the life we had together. If I had…I would have beseeched Carlisle for death long ago. I could feel you, Bella," he shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around me, bringing me into his lap. I breathed in his minty citrus smell, colored with the sweetness of immortality, and shut my eyes as he spoke. "I could see your eyes in my mind and feel your warmth in my heart. You were always with me, I just didn't know it."

"But I wasn't," I sighed, staring at the lake. My head rested on his silent chest. I could hear the ease of his breath…but no heartbeat. I missed its melody already. "I wasn't there to help you, to tell you that I begged Carlisle to do what he did…" I stammered the words and finally shook my head. I let out the air I had held in and handed him the book, settling into his arms. My eyes settled on the pages again, and silence drenched us as we read their secrets.

We read through our wedding, through the honeymoon with very a red face on my part…and came to his parent's death. His eyes filled with sorrow, and I pressed a soft kiss to his neck. It was painful to remember those days. To see his mother and father pass away within a week of each other. It had taken a toll on both of us. Especially Edward. I felt him shake beneath me, eyes focused on the water. The wound was fresh now. I held him in my arms, all fear of what he was gone from my mind.

Edward's arms snaked around me, his head wedged into the crook of my neck. He was breathing heavily, almost like sobbing, but without tears. I pulled him closer to my chest, resting my head atop his. We stayed in each other's embrace for what felt like hours, but the sun had only descended an inch below the trees, taking precious daylight with it. He began to calm and I could feel his hands rubbing circles in my back softly. His eyes stared off into nothing, thoughtful and desolate.

"My family," he mourned, strong hands gripping me almost painfully, then immediately releasing. "These are memories I do not want to remember. My father…my mother." he confided, brow furrowed. I swallowed heavily as he released me, eyes saying their own thanks, and I settled back into the circle of his arms. He grabbed the book from the ground and began to read again.

Soon, too soon, he had read through the pages…lingering on the very last entry. I touched the words on the page, knowing he had already read them. He was quiet. "This was the night you came down with the flu. I wrote this, staring up at the big moon in the sky, and turned from my place at the window to find you feverish. You were shaking because you were cold, but your skin was so hot. You threw up blood, and that's when I knew that it was going to take you from me too.

"I couldn't possibly lose you," I explained, turning in his tight arms to stare into those anguished eyes. "I-I called Carlisle. I begged him to save your life. I was ready to live the rest of my life beside you as a vampire, Edward. I couldn't lose you," I rasped, feeling tears pour down my cheeks as he gently untangled our limbs and stood, facing the setting sun.

"You went back in time solely to meet me…and turn me into this? How do you even know about us? About what I am?" Anger coated his tone. I was the one who had changed him, brought him into a life of solitude, and fury rolled off of him in waves.

I cut in before he could begin to go into one of his moods. Those I remembered with _excruciating_ clarity. "I went back because we were fated to be together…in that life and in this one. Edward, I've known about vampires longer than_ you_ have."

"That's not the point," he laughed sarcastically. He was beside me instantaneously, glaring with black eyes. Fear smothered me and took my voice. "_You_ turned me into this, this monster?! The woman I loved more than my own life! And for what? A human life beside me? What would have happened to me when you died, Bella? Because you would have, you _will_, die someday. Did you ever think about that?" He spat the words, face inches from mine.

"I thought about," I paused, swallowing my emotion, trying to get a hold of my voice. He didn't remember the life growing in my womb. I felt empty, realizing that he didn't know the warmth of our child. The feeling of being reunited failed to numb that wound inside of me. Unconsciously my hands covered my stomach, protecting it from the wrath in his stare.

"I thought about being _alone_ in 1918. A time I didn't known outside of you and your family! I thought about never having you in my arms again. I thought about…"

"About what? What could have possibly made you decide to give me this life?" He demanded, eyes still on fire. I stammered, trying to find words. What could I say? Where did I even start?

A tear fell down my cheek, and I stared boldly at him, squaring my shoulders. The life growing inside of me justified everything I had done back then, and I wouldn't back down – even to a vampire. "Our _child_ growing up without a father."

His eyes widened, going from black to gold instantly. He stepped away, face wild with emotion. I stepped away from the tree, but the glare he gave me stilled my feet. His hands ran through his hair manically, tugging and pulling the red locks like he used to when he was scared. He turned and stared at the water, shaking with emotion. He finally came full circle, and met my gaze. His jaw was clenched, unshed tears shone in his eyes, and I saw the gleam of his teeth baring at the pain we shared. My heart broke for him, for us, for our unborn child.

"I don't remember…" he stared at my stomach, walking slowly toward me. I pressed back against the tree as he approached with his hands outstretched. _There's no way he'll hurt me_, I chanted over and over.

They went to my stomach, feeling and searching for the heartbeat that was long lost to time. Tears filled my eyes and I bit my lip, looking away from his hard stare. My little love – the little heartbeat inside of me – was gone. And all Edward could think was that I was lying to him. That changing him was my malicious will, coming back to haunt him 100 years later. His hands finally fell.

"You were pregnant," he whispered, eyes shutting tight. He leaned against me, his head falling to my shoulder. "I am so sorry," he whispered, hands still groping under my shirt. They fell against the smooth skin, hoping to feel the soft bump of life growing there, and at last wound around my middle in defeat. "Why did this happen?" he whispered, his rough voice so vulnerable my heart ached.

I looked down at him and saw the boy from the past in my arms. A boy that needed my embrace, a boy that longed for my touch. He was my Edward again, even if only for this moment. _Am I hallucinating? _

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him close, the feeling of dread palpable in the air. Our home had been destroyed, all of the traces of our love had been erased from the world, and we would never meet our child that was conceived from a love that would never be lost. But we still had each other. By some miracle, I had him back in my arms. And I was never letting go. I let myself cry with him, clinging to his shirt. He held me tight, his entire body trembling with each of my whimpers. I mourned my unborn child, ripped from existence when I was thrown back into 2005. I mourned the memories that danced around my head when Carlisle told me I was with child. I mourned never being able to see our baby's first steps, hear its first words. Those were things I knew I could never have again. It brought another onslaught of tears to my eyes.

"What happened?" he asked when I quieted, letting my heartbeat slow to near nothingness. I stared at the lake, resting my head on his shoulder as I thought.

I shook my head against his chest finally, snaking my arms tighter around his waist. I was going to have to relive this pain again and again. I could feel the sorrow overtaking me already. "When I came back, I was at the scene of my motorcycle accident. Without you and without…" I couldn't finish the words.

"Shh," he soothed, pressing soft kisses to my face and neck as fat tears plummeted from my eyes. "We will get through this, my Bella. I promise you, you will _never_ lose me again." He swore the words, and I believed them. After today, there was nothing in the universe that could take him away from me. I'd like to see anyone try.

I felt myself falling, starting to relax into his arms as the sun finally dipped below the far away hills. He gathered me into his arms, whispering something about closing my eyes, and began to run – impossibly fast. I buried my face in his chest and felt my consciousness slip away.

"Finally," I whispered, knowing he would hear every word. I didn't dare look as he ran, at a speed that I would certainly question when I woke. I placed my head above his heart, and wrapped my arms around his middle. "I missed falling asleep in your arms, you know."

I could feel a smile in the tender kiss he placed on my forehead. "I've missed feeling you here. Sleep, my Bella. I'll be here when you wake…and then forever."

My lips pulled up in a smile, and I nodded against his chest, remembering the words spoken on a wedding night one hundred years ago.

_Forever. _

**A/N: **

**Yay! Together again. **** Makes me so happy that they are. **

**In the next chapter, I will be bringing everyone in. Things will be said. Stuff will happen. I will probably post a preview of it up here when I start to write it. **

**But in the meantime! ****Please review!**

**-Psychedelic Panda**


	36. Landslide Preview

**A/N: Here is a preview, friends. Hope you enjoy it, I'm just posting this content warning now. M! for sexual situations. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 35**

**Landslide**

The forest at night was even more stunning than I could remember from my youth. The waning moon casted shadows of azure and wine against the mighty trees and their evergreen branches swayed in the soft evening wind to the music of the night. Thousands of tiny creatures, each baring a heartbeat I could hear and a soul I could smell, came alive in the darkness. When I had been human the night had always been a place a refuge. I was drawn to the macabre, the shadows. I smirked as I wandered these harmless woods now. The only darkness, the only evil here was me.

Looking back at who I was when I had been human, I saw my own fate coming. Despite what the brunette in my arms had written and spoke about, my soul craved the eternal night. Destiny. Fate. These words had played around in my head for a lifetime. Carlisle had often spoke of God's plan for the universe and all of the creatures in it. I'd never taken them seriously…until hours ago when a woman I thought had been madness reached into the blackness and pulled me into the light.

A soft melody of a heartbeat sang against my chest, drawing me from my deep thoughts, and I couldn't help but hold her tighter. Eighty years I had been alone, lifeless in immortality. I knew nothing more than the sweet sound of the forest at night, of solitude dripping from the very moon above us.

Until this night: the most important of my immortal existence. I found her. At long last. I pressed my lips to her strawberry skin and inhaled, moaning in satisfaction. My throat burst into a fire of desire and lust but I had no desire to drink from her. I _wanted_ her. I swallowed heavily, a thing I had been doing since she had taken me to our home again. I took one step through the doorway and I was lost to the visions of her legs on either side of my hips, her dripping wet sex clenching and stretching around my manhood as I watched, her lips parting in ecstasy as she came undone, milking me for all I was worth. My pants tightened painfully and I slowed my pace to a walk, controlling the monstrous lust in the pit of my belly. We were approaching the street.

_Edward_ A voice so familiar and melodious crept into my mind and I turned to the tree line where it had come from. There, beside the might pines and oaks, stood a five foot tall pixie, a smile as bright as Times Square lighting up her face. _This car is for taking her back to the hotel, which you are going to do. Jasper and I have already made other arrangements tonight…have fun. _

As soon as the message had been given, the vision of the girl standing beside a silver Volvo dissipated into the night. The keys were in the ignition, and the pixie's soft winter cinnamon scent lingered. So my boney sister had seen everything. My eyes narrowed sure should I have been human my face would be red as a tomato.

I narrowed my eyes, recalling my distaste for this trip. She planned this_. "Come on Edward!"_ She had pleaded with me, eyes wide and 'innocent'. "_You've been cooped up in this town for ten years! You are coming to Chicago and that's final! Don't make me tell mom!"_

There hadn't been much arguing after that.

Sighing to myself, I cracked the door of the Volvo, holding Bella's feather-light figure in one arm, and settled her into the seat. My hand ran down her cheek as I clicked the buckle around her waist. How had I been blessed with such a woman to live through this eternity with? Electricity surged through my veins at a simple touch, driving the vampire inside mad with lust again. I rested my head upon hers and breathed in the showers of a fresh summer's rain, trying to control the voracious lust spreading through my body.

I stood and shut her door, pausing to stare at the white house that once belonged to my parents. I could feel sorrow scratch at my chest as I stared my first home. My mother, my father…my brother and his wife. I shut my eyes and turned away from the memories. I slid into the driver's seat and turned over the ignition. And I did not look back.

My mind shifted through our first meeting as I drove through Old town. I could remember the first moment I met her. I could recall the first words I had ever spoken to her.

Yet…

I blinked away the phantom tears gathering in my eyes as I thought of my child growing in her womb, the errant thought of my Bella swelling with child, her cheeks rosy and her smile full of adoration and wonder. How had it been taken from her? "Carlisle will know," I whispered to myself, willing the car to move faster through the traffic piled up downtown. I needed answers.

**A/N: Well! Preview of what's gonna happen in the next chapters of this lovely story. I'm, honestly, writing about 1000 words on this a day...so give me another week or so to get another chapter out :)**

**Review it, my friends. **

**-PsychedelicPanda **


	37. Landslide

**Chapter Thirty Five**

**Landslide**

At night, this forest was even more stunning than I could remember from my youth. The waning moon casted shadows of azure and wine against the mighty trees and their evergreen branches swayed in the soft evening wind to the music of the night. Thousands of tiny creatures, each baring a heartbeat I could hear and a soul I could smell, came alive in the darkness. But the true beauty of the night was only exposed to the most dangerous predators.

When I had been human the night had always been a place a refuge. I was drawn to the macabre, the shadows. I smirked as I wandered these harmless woods now. The only darkness, the only evil here was me.

Looking back at who I was when I had been human, I saw my own fate coming. Despite what the brunette in my arms had written and spoke about, my soul craved the eternal night. Destiny. Fate. These words had played around in my head for a lifetime. Carlisle had often spoke of God's plan for the universe and all of the creatures in it. I'd never taken them seriously…until hours ago when a woman I thought had been madness reached into the blackness and pulled me into the light.

A soft melody of a heartbeat sang against my chest, drawing me from my deep thoughts, and I couldn't help but hold her tighter. Eighty years I had been alone, lifeless in immortality. I knew nothing more than the sweet sound of the forest at night, of solitude dripping from the very moon above us. And things so dark…I never wanted her to know the nightmare that dwelled deep within.

This night had been the most important of my immortal existence. I found her. At long last. I pressed my lips to her strawberry skin and inhaled, moaning in satisfaction. My throat burst into a fire of desire and lust but I had no desire to drink from her.

I _wanted_ her.

I swallowed heavily, a thing I had been doing since she had taken me to our home again, a place that was but four walls in shambles and a leaky roof. I took one step through the doorway and I was lost to the visions of her legs on either side of my hips, her dripping wet sex clenching and stretching around my manhood as I watched, her lips parting in ecstasy as she came undone, milking me for all I was worth. My pants tightened painfully and I slowed my pace to a walk, controlling the prodigious lust in the pit of my belly. We were approaching the street.

_Edward_ a voice so familiar and melodious crept into my mind and I turned to the tree line where it had come from. There, beside the mighty pines and oaks, stood a five foot tall pixie, a smile as bright as Times Square lighting up her face.

I stared into her eyes, searching for the voice inside of her mind. _This car is for taking her back to the hotel, which you are going to do. Jasper and I have already made other arrangements tonight…have fun. _

As soon as the message had been given, the vision of the girl standing beside a silver Volvo dissipated into the night. The keys were in the ignition and the pixie's soft, cinnamon scent that reminded me of a warm winter's night, lingered. So she had seen everythingMy eyes narrowed sure should I have been human my face would be red as a tomato. worth..

I narrowed my eyes, recalling my distaste for this trip. She planned this_. "Come on Edward!"_ She had pleaded with me, eyes wide and 'innocent'. My sister knew those eyes would get her anywhere – with anyone but me. "_You've been cooped up in this town for ten years! You are coming to Chicago and that's final! Don't make me tell mom!"_

There hadn't been much arguing after that.

Sighing to myself, I cracked the door of the Volvo, holding Bella's feather-light figure in one arm, and settled her into the seat. My hand ran down her cheek as I clicked the buckle around her waist. Her head lolled to the side, and she curled into herself when I let her go. She was so exhausted. How long had it been since she had slept? I cupped her cheek, running my thumb across her lips. How would she react to what I was, to the things I could do?

Electricity surged through my veins at the simple touch, driving the vampire inside mad with lust and quieting my thoughts. I rested my head upon hers and breathed in the showers of a fresh summer's rain upon a strawberry field, trying to control the voracious lust spreading through my body.

I stood and shut her door, pausing to stare at the white house that once belonged to my parents. It was so very much the same as it had been when I was growing up. An elderly woman sat in the living room, smiling as she looked through a photobook and thought of her children. Her face was familiar to me, but her thoughts didn't betray her identity. With one last look into her nostalgic mind, I turned to the road.

I could feel sorrow scratch at my chest as I stared my first home. My mother, my father…my brother and his wife. I shut my eyes and turned away from the memories. I slid into the driver's seat, turned over the ignition, and I did not look back.

My mind shifted through the days that I finally had access to in my vampire mind. I could remember the first moment I met her and the last moment I saw her. I could recall the first words I had ever spoken to her, and the last.

"_Miss, Miss are you okay?"_

I'd been so worried the afternoon that my brother Emmett had scared her to death. I had fallen in love with her the moment I saw her big brown eyes staring back at me. I smirked over at the sleeping girl, and felt the last memory I had of her cloud my vision.

"_Beautiful girl,"_ I whispered, kissing her neck_. "I love you,"_ I swore, feeling the disease eating me from the inside. I knew I was done, going to die within hours. Those were the very last words I spoke to her for nearly a century…

I blinked away the tears gathering in my eyes as I thought of _my _child growing in her womb: my Bella swelling with child, her cheeks rosy and her smile full of adoration and wonder caused moisture to roll down my cheek slowly. Two times this night I had defied what I was. I shed tears, a thing I hadn't done since the night I had died. A thing I had thought vampires could not do. How had everything gone so wrong? _Why_ had our child been taken away from us? "Carlisle will know," I whispered to myself, willing the car to move faster through the traffic piled up downtown. I needed answers.

Men from the hotel staff took care of the rental car, something I was sure Alice had something to do with, as I gathered the sleeping woman into my arms fondly. She looked as though she hadn't slept in days, and I was sure she hadn't. She'd been delirious at the gravesite, and she still looked as though she was. Her eyes had been bloodshot and deep purple circles rested under them, mud was caked across her shoes and splattered up to her waist. She was still drenched in rain water, shivering and twitching in a fitful rest, but her scent was vibrant, still as beautiful as the day we met. I caught the elevator and watched the buzz of humanity through the glass around me, but only paid attention to the soft rise and fall of her breath. _So peaceful; being alive._

Our suite was on the top floor, and had the same furnishings that I was so used to at the home I shared with my family in Washington. White on white, a touch of black, a splash of color disguised as art, tall, panoramic windows, and solid, warm wooden floors. There was a small, very modern kitchen that had been recently stocked, a comfortable suede coach in front of a flat screen TV, and beyond a half opened door a king bed stood majestically facing the city. A small note from Alice lie on the down comforter, red ink glaring up at me in warning.

_Change. Her. Clothes.__ She will be quite uncomfortable if you leave her in rain soaked clothes on Egyptian cotton sheets! _

_P.s. She's your wife, remember? Get over it. _

_P.s.s. She'll get sick if you don't. And do you really want to take care of a sick human, Edward?_

I suppose I did not. Not that that made me more comfortable with the idea of undressing the beautiful goddess of my dreams only to find myself re-dressing her right after.

_Such a temptation…_

A single finger ran up her leg, and rested on her knee before I stopped myself. Alice had foreseen this, hadn't she? With a swallow that I knew I didn't need, I popped the button on her jeans, and froze when I looked her over.

She was wearing the same outfit the day we met. Completely shredded black jeans, a Blondie crop shirt, and Vans. I smirked, thinking back to that day. She seemed so…_foreign_. So different – and I suppose she was. My hands, cold as death, ran up her thighs nostalgically, softer than a feather dragging across her skin. Had she come back to the very moment she had been thrown into my life? I pushed the swirling memories from my mind, swallowing thickly again as the fabric gave way to creamy, toned legs and curves. When had I become such a piss poor example of a gentleman?

If I could have, I would have been blushing as I pulled warm sweatpants over those tempting curves. I stared at the soft cotton V-neck top beside her and bit my lip. As if changing her jeans hadn't been bad enough. My pants tightened uncomfortable as I lifted the near-see-through top over her head and was met with a lacy, white bra – soaked to the point of being see through. I could taste the silk of her skin on my tongue, just seeing two hardened buds beneath the fabric. With self-control I didn't know I had, I slipped the gray shirt over her shoulders, unlatched the bra from behind her back, and set her down upon a mountain of goose feather pillows. She was warm…I hoped. I toyed with my phone as I pulled the blankets over her chest and softly shut the bedroom's door. Hopefully tonight she would sleep soundly.

Before I could dial, the screen lit up. My eyes narrowed at the name flashing across the screen.

_Carlisle C. _

"Edward," he sighed, weary and tired, as I held the phone to my ear. So Alice had already told him about Bella. Good.

My nostrils flared and I breathed in deep, trying to find calmness in my head, but nothing came. What could I even say to the man that took my family away from me? The man who damned me to walk the earth for eighty years in the same body I died in! "Carlisle…I don't even know where to being explaining how_ furious_ I am. _Eighty_ _seven years_ I lived without her, Carlisle! How…how could you do that to me? I thought we were _family_!"

"Would it have been better if you remembered her? If, for nearly a century, you remembered her smile, her touch and had to live without it? You tell me if you could have lived through that, Edward, and I will apologize for my actions immediately."

What he said didn't make it right, and it certainly didn't take away the rage the vampire side of me felt, but I knew that Carlisle was right. He had been a father to me for nearly a hundred years…he simply wanted to protect me from living my life without her. And I didn't blame him.

"I suppose I would have taken this life much harder, had I known."

A deep sigh echoed over the line, and I could see him running a hand over his face tiredly. "I don't know what you've heard from her, but the night, the moment after I bit down into you, a white, screeching light surrounded her. I tried to grab her as it pulled her in, but she was already gone. Just vanished into thin air before my eyes and I knew that it had to be the same thing that brought her here that had taken her away again. She fulfilled her purpose in your time, and when you woke three days later, the fever had taken all of the memories you had of her from you, and I saw no reason to give them back. Edward…you were tormented by what you were already. I could not give you those memories back. It is far better not knowing what you lost than carrying it around with you for _eternity_.

"And I promised her," he began again, swallowing heavily. "I promised Bella that I would save you. So I did."

I sat on the balcony, listening to his words with an absent mind. She had done everything for me in this life and I hadn't even known it. She led me to Carlisle when I was still human, convinced a two hundred year old vampire to change her husband out of the goodness of its heart, and gave me a family when she knew the one I had would be taken away. I smiled into the darkness with a vigor I hadn't held in years.

My head fell against the sliding glass behind me as I stared at the pale moon above, my heart feeling like it was_ beating_ in my chest again. "There's nothing to forgive. You did this to protect me and, while I'm losing my _god damned mind_ over it now, I understand your reasons. I was lost for so long that I thought there was nothing for me in this world...but she's back, hell, she even says she wants to stay with me, and I don't know," I paused, staring back into the dark apartment to see if she was still just beyond a few walls and doors, still _here_ with me. I ran my hand through my hair, pulling at the locks stubbornly. "I don't even know where to _begin to look_ for what to say to her, Carlisle."

"She loves you, Edward. Trust me when I tell you that is all that matters. I think you should sit down and talk…about what's happened, about what _you both_ want. I'm sure you will find your desires are quite similar."

I stared at the cement at my feet while we shared a pregnant silence, enjoying a moment of fleeting peace, but I hadn't simply call him to ask about Bella. The flash of green eyes, an innocent smile that never reached the world tore up my heart, leaving tears gleaming in my eyes – again. Carlisle had to know why this was happening, why the most beautiful thing Bella and I had ever made was gone.

"Carlisle, there's something else," I stumbled over my words when he grew quiet, so quiet I could hear a woman sit beside him. I opened and closed my mouth several times, looking for the words to describe the pain I felt. "I know that she was pregnant."

The smallest intake of breath, and a soft sigh came from the other end. I could hear his mate, Esme, sniffle softly. It broke my heart a little more to hear the woman who had been like a mother to me this past century cry. But Carlisle smiled as he spoke, nostalgia filling his tone. "She was so beautiful, Edward. Both of you were glowing, so eager to be parents and I had no doubt in my mind that should you have never contracted the virus, you would have been an excellent father, and she an astounding mother. It doesn't matter what you are son, you are incapable of harming the things that you love. When Bella gives birth to_ your_ child, you will be a fantastic father. Have no doubt of that."

Silence reigned over the static, and I felt my chest fissure.

Alice didn't tell him. I clutched the phone and stared down at my feet, clenching my jaw. Maybe she couldn't see what I could.

For I could see visions of my wife, smiling down at a perfect bundle that was all brown eyes and red hair - I was right beside her for it all: birthday parties, Christmases, anniversaries – up until we passed away from old age together, out children and a hundred grandchildren around us. And it hurt every damn time I thought about what I lost. But more so when I thought about the first – and only – child I had created being cast into oblivion.

"It's not that," I assured him, pinching the bridge of my nose. "When she was taken that night, something happened to her. She came back to the same damn day, _the exact time_ that she crossed over. And the baby…it was just _gone_." My voice broke over the last words and I heard silence so deep that I wanted to cast myself into it, hang over the line.

"I do not know what happened," he reassured, physician's tone and all, "but I will find out Edward. Maybe there is a way to save the child, even now, but I need to dive into the most ancient books that I own to even begin to understand time travel – and its effects."

I nodded to myself, feeling phantom moisture in my eyes for what felt like the hundredth time since I met my Bella again. But they hadn't come from sadness. They'd come from hope buried deep down, a beacon of hope that burned bright now. There was no way that my family couldn't make this work. But…I could feel doubt creeping up the walls of my mind.

"What if it doesn't work, Carlisle?" I knew my voice sounded as defeated as I was.

He scoffed and I heard papers being sorted, books being piled up, and a chair being pulled out from a desk. "I have the most advanced collection of time – and everything that's happened in it – in the basement. We will make it work, Edward. At the very least we will come across what happened to her, and then we simply need a way to reverse it. Come home as soon as you're able…I'm sure you and Bella have much to talk about."

"Thank you, father," I spoke, swallowing my own human sentiment as his breath caught.

"Any time, my son."

I stared at the moon for what felt like an eternity after I hung up on my family. Though it was dim and buried deep down, there was hope. Hope I hadn't felt since the night I woke from death and stared at the same moon. I discarded my jeans as I walked toward the bedroom she rested in, her breathing soft and even in slumber, and shut the door noiselessly.

There were so many things that I wanted to tell her. So many things that made me want to wake her in the middle of the night to tell her of the last hundred years that she missed and to know so much more of her life. But I wouldn't. I wouldn't wake the exhausted woman in front of me as she slept so soundly.

So I slipped into the warmth of the bed with her, hanging my hand limply in hers, a small distance between our chests, and watched with new eyes and green curiosity as she dreamed, hoping the morning light would bring me the answers to her hidden mind.

**A/N: **

**So this is a lot shorter than I hoped it would be, but I've been quite busy with work lately. Holidays and all that. Hope you enjoyed. I'll update again when I'm able to, hopefully just after the holidays are over!**

**I love reviews, just so you know :D**

**And, I hope to publish a preview to this before Saturnalia, but IDK if that's gonna happen. Next chapter, you'll see Edward's life after Bella. And much more.**

**-PsychedelicPanda**


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